@article {1003, title = {Detecting White Spots in Innovation-Driven Intellectual Property Management}, journal = {Technology Innovation Management Review}, volume = {6}, year = {2016}, month = {07/2016}, pages = {34-47}, publisher = {Talent First Network}, address = {Ottawa}, abstract = {Technology companies scan the competitive arena for patents to discover research activities and technology trends. Patents are the outcome of innovation processes that take several month or even years, depending on the industry. The process of publishing patents usually lasts longer. A huge time gap of up to several years between early research and development activities and published patents is the consequence. Therefore, a patent is a weak indicator for the identification of early innovation activities. However, the inventor needs intellectual assets such as data, knowledge, and expertise to carry out an innovation process. It is likely that these intellectual assets can improve the competitor analysis {\textendash} rendering them primary targets. In this article, we introduce a systematic approach to detect intellectual property (IP) activities of stakeholders in selected technology fields (e.g., hiring experts, taking part in research projects, gathering specific data). A technology field with a low intensity of IP activities offers great opportunities, which we call a "white spot". Our proposed approach can help identify the white spots in innovation-driven IP management and thereby help devise recommendations to improve a company{\textquoteright}s IP portfolio.}, keywords = {business model, competitive advantage, competitive arena, Innovation management, intellectual capital, intellectual property, value proposition}, issn = {1927-0321}, doi = {http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1003}, url = {http://timreview.ca/article/1003}, author = {Daniel Eckelt and Christian D{\"u}lme and J{\"u}rgen Gausemeier and Simon Hemel} }