Companies may find their expansion plans hindered when they expand overseas. For example, there were cases where companies were late in finding out that their company names and trade marks had already been registered by another company.

Some may even find themselves being sued for "trade mark infringement" for trade names that they have been using back at home.

Such issues could be avoided if adequate IP management (IPM) practices were part of the company's culture and IP issues were considered as a part of the company's business expansion plans. Find out more about monetising your IP here .