Designing the 7D patent management maturity model - A capability based approach

Patent management has become increasingly important in technology-oriented companies. The patent itself does not only protect an invention against imitation, it also has a variety of other functions. For example, patents can be used for generating revenues by licensing to other companies as well as for gathering competitor information. To handle all these functions in an appropriate and balanced way, a professional patent management method is required. To achieve this, we aim to design a maturity model for patent management - the 7D Patent Management Maturity Model - that offers companies assistance in building, improving and reviewing their patent management. We define seven dimensions, namely portfolio, generation, intelligence, exploitation, enforcement, organization, and culture. The first five dimensions are core dimensions, the latter two supporting dimensions. We continue with an explanation of the guiding principles behind these dimensions, and finally illustrate the application of the model, showing how it can be used for the organizational development of a company's patent management.