The IP Iceberg: Discovering the Innovation Beneath the Surface by Dr Claudia M. Duffy
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The IP Iceberg: Discovering the Innovation Beneath the Surface by Dr Claudia M. Duffy, European Patent Attorney & Founder of Innovare IP, UK.
In the IP Tech & Innovation Services Annual, Dr Claudia M. Duffy, European Patent Attorney and Founder of Innovare IP, United Kingdom, explores how businesses can uncover and leverage the often-overlooked intellectual property assets that contribute to their commercial value. Through IP Evaluate, part of the IP Bloks suite, she explains how technology-driven solutions are helping organisations identify, evaluate, protect, and strategically manage their intangible assets.
The Hidden Value of Intellectual Property
For many businesses, intellectual property represents a significant proportion of their overall value, yet much of it remains unidentified or inadequately protected. According to the Ocean Tomo Intangible Asset Market Value Study cited in the article, intangible assets accounted for approximately 92% of the S&P 500's market capitalisation at the end of 2025.
Dr Duffy uses the analogy of an iceberg to demonstrate how patents, trade marks, and registered designs represent only the visible portion of a much larger collection of commercially valuable intellectual assets.
Understanding the IP Iceberg
The article categorises intellectual property into three distinct layers: registrable IP rights, unregistrable IP rights, and intellectual assets commonly referred to as soft IP.
While patents, trade marks, and registered designs are widely recognised, businesses frequently overlook valuable assets such as copyright, software code, technical know-how, customer relationships, commercial contracts, and market knowledge.
Dr Duffy highlights how failing to identify these assets can result in businesses undervaluing their innovation, particularly during investment rounds, mergers, acquisitions, and commercial negotiations.
Introducing IP Evaluate: Making the Intangible Tangible
To address this challenge, Innovare IP has developed IP Evaluate, a technology-enabled solution within its IP Bloks suite.
The platform aims to make structured IP identification and evaluation more accessible to businesses of different sizes and development stages. By replacing labour-intensive elements of traditional IP auditing with guided digital workflows, IP Evaluate helps organisations build a clearer understanding of their intellectual property portfolios.
A Structured Approach to IP Management
IP Evaluate introduces six interconnected stages designed to help businesses unlock the commercial potential of their intellectual assets.
Educate: Improve understanding of IP and its relationship to business value.
Evaluate: Identify and catalogue registered, unregistered, and other intellectual assets.
Map: Organise IP assets according to their commercial relevance and strategic importance.
Protect: Determine appropriate protection strategies and prioritise commercially critical assets.
Valuate: Support IP valuation through benchmarking and comparative analysis.
Leverage: Identify opportunities for licensing, investment, asset-backed financing, and tax-related benefits.
Together, these stages are designed to create a structured, evolving database of a company's intellectual property.
Supporting Businesses, Investors, and Professional Advisors
Beyond helping businesses understand their IP portfolios, the article examines how IP Evaluate can support investors, solicitors, accountants, and other professional advisors.
For businesses, structured IP records can strengthen investment readiness and commercial negotiations. Investors benefit from more comprehensive information during due diligence, while legal and financial advisors can access organised IP data to support transactions, valuations, and strategic planning.
Creating New Opportunities Through IP Technology
Dr Duffy positions IP Bloks within an underserved area of the LegalTech market, focusing on accessible, scalable solutions for intellectual property evaluation rather than traditional patent searching or portfolio administration.
The platform is particularly relevant to start-ups, SMEs, spin-outs, and growing businesses that may lack the resources to undertake comprehensive IP audits through conventional professional services.
The Future of AI-Driven IP Evaluation
The article also explores Innovare IP's plans to integrate additional AI-powered capabilities into the IP Bloks ecosystem.
These proposed developments include automated IP risk assessments, benchmarking reports, and investment-ready portfolio summaries, supported by the structured data collected through IP Evaluate.
By combining digital workflows with future AI-driven analysis, Innovare IP aims to make intellectual property management more accessible, commercially relevant, and strategically valuable.
Conclusion
As Dr Claudia M. Duffy highlights, unlocking business value begins with recognising the intellectual property that often goes unseen. Through IP Evaluate and the evolving IP Bloks suite, Innovare IP aims to help businesses transform overlooked intangible assets into measurable opportunities for protection, investment, and commercial growth.
Read the full article in the inaugural edition of the IP Tech & Innovation Services Annual to discover how innovative IP evaluation technology is helping businesses uncover hidden intellectual property, strengthen their commercial value, and unlock new opportunities for growth and investment.
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