It is only in recent times companies are even looking at IP as a forefront in branding and maintaining market share.

Most address IP after a potential infringement has occured, generally by a competitor, and then they fight to protect.  This should signal the “value.” And in an age of creative leverage, value can be mortgaged, going beyond capital equipment requirements.

John,

Actually, during the course of my research (see http://www.csc.com/aboutus/leadingedgeforum/mds/mds436/844.shtml) I’ve been surprised a bit in the opposite way.  I’ve seen some long-standing programs of brand enhancement and brand preservation ... notably by those companies who show up well in the Interbrand global brand value rankings (http://www.interbrand.com) and those who participate in the CMO Council (http://www.cmocouncil.org).  I had expected some traditional attention to brand value in the physical world, but I’m impressed by the efforts being made by a number of companies to take pre-emptive action in the digital world to protect their brands as well.  UBS, for example, devotes a good deal of time and attention to this matter.  The Digital Trust volume on IP Protection (Volume 3) and the upcoming volume on eThreats (Volume 6) have data that is relevant to this conversation.  Nevertheless, your point is well taken.  Digital trust technologies and services from companies like MarkMonitor (http://www.markmonitor.com) and Cyveillance (http://www.cyveillance.com) are effective in monitoring for brand infractions “after the fact” but maybe “before the damage.”