Enhancing Product Innovation by Implementing Intellectual Property Protection into the Virtual Product Creation

Abstract

Product data contains one of the most valuable assets of a company – the intellectual property (IP). Especially the modern parametric and feature-based 3D CAD systems have been enhanced towards acquiring, representing, processing and distributing knowledge to support KBE (Knowledge-Based Engineering) within the virtual product creation. However, it is very easy to exchange any product related information by electronic media. In the age of the globalism the product data exchange between different parties in the supply chain has become the ubiquitous and frequent form of business communication by transferring huge amounts of product data within the virtual enterprise. So there is an enormous threat that the intellectual property could fall into the wrong hands and badly damage the product innovation in a momentous way. This contribution analyzes this area of conflict, discusses the need for action in supplier networks and describes attempts from research and development as well as productive software solutions for intellectual property protection (IPP) based on CAD models and their best practices.