As Microsoft goes, so goes the industry. Marshall Phelps's remarkable eyewitness story offers lessons for any executive struggling with today's innovation and intellectual property challenges. "Burning the Ships" recounts Phelps's dramatic behind-the-scenes account of how he overcame internal resistance and got Microsoft to open up channels of collaboration with other firms. Discover the never-before-told details of Microsoft's secret two-year negotiations with Red Hat and Novell that led to the world's first intellectual property peace treaty and technical collaboration with the open source community. Witness the sometimes-nervous support Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer gave to Phelps in turning their company around 180 degrees from market bully to collaborative industry partner. And most of all, learn how intellectual property can be deployed by any firm to create high-value business opportunities and ensure success in today's new "open innovation" age.

This is the inside story of 'the greatest transformation of Microsoft since it became a multinational company'. As Microsoft goes, so goes the industry. Marshall Phelps' remarkable eyewitness story offers lessons for any executive struggling with today's innovation and intellectual property challenges. Burning the Ships offers Phelps' dramatic behind-the-scenes account of how he overcame internal resistance and got Microsoft to open up channels of collaboration with other firms. Readers will discover the never-before-told details of Microsoft's secret two-year negotiations with Red Hat and Novell that led to the world's first intellectual property peace treaty and technical collaboration with the open source community. They'll witness the sometimes-nervous support Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer gave to Phelps in turning their company around 180 degrees from market bully to collaborative industry partner. And most of all, they'll understand how intellectual property can be deployed by any firm to create high-value business opportunities and ensure success in today's new open-innovation age. Marshall Phelps (New Canaan, CT), known as the 'godfather' of corporate intellectual property strategy, is Microsoft Corporation's Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual Property. David Kline (Portland, OR), whose bestselling Rembrandts in the Attic (978-0-87584-899-0) is considered the seminal work in the field of IP strategy within corporate America, is a journalist, author, and intellectual property consultant.

Publisher:

John Wiley & Sons

ISBN:

9780470432150

Publication date:

March 2009

Length:

236mm

Width:

153mm

Thickness:

20mm

Weight:

376g

Pages:

186

I just finished reading Burning the Ships: Intellectual Property and the Transformation of Microsoft by Marshall Phelps, which is a fascinating account of the transformation of Microsoft's patent power during Marshall Phelp's tenure there. Under his leadership, Microsoft has become a significant holder of patents covering many important aspects of Microsoft's technology. The book is well worth the read for anyone who wants to understand Microsoft's patent strategy. (PatentLawInsights.com, April 25, 2009) ...details the evolution of Microsoft's approach to patents -- a timely topic given the company's TomTom litigation. (techflash.com, March 24th, 2009) [There are] many interesting tales in Burning the Ships, a new book that traces Microsoft's moves from intellectual property novice to patent powerhouse. [It reveals how] the company set upon a new course with regard to intellectual property, making peace with longtime enemies, creating a business around its underused technology, and seeking to strike broad cross-licensing deals with nearly everyone in the industry. -Ina Fried, CNET News.com A good case study of how Microsoft reinvented itself and began leveraging its Intellectual Property for good (collaboration) instead of evil (punishment). I would encourage anyone working [in the technology field] to read it. I can easily see that this book will be required reading very shortly in most MBA programs. -David Lane, Linux Journal Microsoft will always have its detractors -- all powerful and successful companies do -- and there is no doubt that it has thrown its weight around with great force on many occasions in the past. But for those prepared to look at the company with an open mind, this book is extremely revealing about why open source and collaboration have forced senior management to look again at its traditional ways of operating in order to embrace new business realities. -Joff Wild, IAM Magazine Burning the Ships recounts Phelps' behind-the-scenes account of how he overcame internal resistance and got Microsoft to embrace collaboration with other firms. There are plenty of lessons in this book for executives in every industry where accessing previously untapped intellectual property can open up new business opportunities. -Stephen Albainy-Jenei, Patent Baristas This book describes a dramatic shift toward business openness and property ownership by a formerly closed, defensive company, resulting in enormous new value for the company. -William New, Intellectual Property Watch The book provides a very interesting behind-the-scenes account of the transformation of Microsoft, as well as dealings with competitors during that time. -Peter Zura, The 271 Patent Blog However technology evolves, IP strategies will have to evolve with it. This book is a chance to learn from one company's version of that evolution. -Wendy Grossman, ZDNet Reviews We've been looking for some new paper to turn here at the Engadget HD offices, and it looks like Marshall Phelps' Burning the Ships may be our next purchase. -Darren Murph, Endgadget