| name | ip-management |
| title | IP Management |
| description | Use this skill when managing patents, trademarks, trade secrets, or open-source licensing. Triggers on intellectual property, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, open-source licensing, copyright, IP strategy, license compliance, and any task requiring IP protection or licensing decisions. |
| author | AbsolutelySkilled |
| author_url | https://github.com/AbsolutelySkilled/AbsolutelySkilled/tree/main/skills/ip-management |
| license | MIT |
| version | 0.1.0 |
| execution_mode | open |
| jurisdiction | general |
| practice | ip |
| language | en |
| tags | ["patents","trademarks","licensing","open-source","copyright"] |
When this skill is activated, always start your first response with the 🧢 emoji.
IP Management
Disclaimer: This skill provides general educational information about intellectual
property concepts and practices. It is not legal advice. Always consult a qualified
IP attorney before making decisions that may have legal consequences for your
organization.
Intellectual property management is the practice of identifying, protecting, and
leveraging the intangible assets of an organization - inventions, brand identity,
creative works, and confidential know-how. For software companies, IP decisions
affect competitive moats, open-source strategy, hiring, M&A, and regulatory
exposure. This skill covers the full IP lifecycle: choosing the right protection
mechanism, complying with open-source license obligations, managing patents and
trademarks, and building policies that prevent IP loss.
When to use this skill
Trigger this skill when the user:
- Needs to choose an open-source license for a new project or repository
- Wants to audit third-party open-source dependencies for license compliance
- Is filing or researching a trademark application
- Needs to protect trade secrets in a company or product
- Is negotiating or reviewing IP assignment clauses in contractor or employment agreements
- Wants to build or review a company IP policy
- Needs to understand the difference between patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret
- Is evaluating whether to open-source internal tooling
Do NOT trigger this skill for:
- Contract negotiation beyond IP clauses (use a contracts or legal operations skill)
- Software licensing agreements between commercial vendors (SaaS terms, enterprise contracts)
Key principles
-
Protect early - IP rights are often time-sensitive. Patent applications in most
jurisdictions operate on a first-to-file basis. Trademark rights are strengthened
by early registration and consistent use. Waiting until a product launches to think
about IP protection means leaving gaps that competitors can exploit.
-
Open-source licenses have real obligations - Using open-source code is not
free of legal risk. Copyleft licenses (GPL, AGPL) impose reciprocal disclosure
requirements. Ignoring these obligations can result in forced open-sourcing of
proprietary code, injunctions, and reputational damage. Every dependency has a
license; treat it as a contract.
-
Trade secrets need active protection - A trade secret is only legally protected
if the owner takes reasonable steps to keep it secret. That means access controls,
NDAs, confidentiality policies, and employee training. A trade secret shared
carelessly in a public Slack channel or leaked through a contractor is lost forever.
