Intellectual Property Ownership in Association Education

Presented by: Robert Watters

Director, Education & TrainingASQ Learning Institute

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Mission

• ASQ’s education system is to benefit community (society) as a whole, enabling individuals and organizations to achieve excellence by providing a comprehensive curriculum offered through a variety of ASQ, corporation, educational institution, and other society channels worldwide.

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The Intellectual Property Journey

• ASQ’s education system was redesigned and launched in 2009

• Key Inhibitors Identified:– Intellectual property conflicts

– Intellectual property ownership

– Variation in contractual relationships

– Variation in revenue share agreements

– Variation in program design

A Long Road Ahead (5 Years)

Past State Future State

% IP

ASQ Owned3rd Party Owned80%

20%

% IP

ASQ Owned3rd Party Owned

20%

80%

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What problems was this causing ASQ?

• Limitations on content use

• Difficulty taking the content Globally

• Conditions that limited the use of repurposing portions of the content for new courses

• Restrictions in customizations

Establish a Strategy for IP Ownership

– What is ASQ recognized for?• Certifications• Content Validation (Subject Matter Expertise)• Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK)

– As stewards of the QBOK, what should ASQ Own?• Basic Quality Tools• Certification Preparation Content• Compliance-Based Courses

ASQ Solutions in the Strategy

• Develop and licenses materials, others deliver

• Create partnerships to expand base and ease burden of logistics

• Standardize IP contracting and agreements

• Optimize modular material design• Optimize product development

A Return on Intellectual Ownership (ROI)

• We have built out our Certification Preparation Portfolio– ASQ owns 98% of this product type

• We keep 100% of the revenue generated by this product type (gone are the days of the 80/20 or more split)

• Getting out of these relationships and building our own content and investing in learning technology improved our bottom line by $150k the first year

Things we are learning on our Journey

1. Have a strategy in place that identifies what you want to own and how you plan to own it

2. Manage your relationships with faculty and independent contractors such to maintain and control ownership of your IP

3. Invest strategically in technology and content. Understand your economics and opportunities

4. Have standard contracts and agreements that you use

5. Choose your partners wisely (win/win)

Thank You