Protecting Intellectual Property in International Expansion: Preparing an Innovation-Based SME

Abstract

A key concern among innovation-based SMEs is to protect their intellectual property (IP) as they grow internationally. To explore the challenges such resource-constrained firms face, we conducted action research at a technology-based SME that aspired to expand internationally. Through collaborative and periodic interventions, we sought to help managers of the organization work around the issues that surfaced while preparing to internationalize further. Our collaboration led us to examine isolating mechanisms, such as rapid international expansion, that the SME could deploy to pre-empt competitive imitation of their innovative products and processes, especially as their IP is not protected legally (e.g., by patents). Results point to inevitable identified tensions and paradoxes, leading us to approaches and practices the firm can adopt.