Building solid intellectual property (IP) is a top priority for company leadership today, and for good reason: a well-defined and well-executed IP strategy is a critical foundation for a company’s growth and funding efforts. For engineering teams, this means developing, documenting, and protecting innovations in a way that aligns with the company’s technology roadmap, business goals, and available resources. An effective IP program doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach; rather, it strategically applies different forms of IP protection (such as patents, trade secrets, trademarks, or copyrights) based on what’s being built, how it’s being used, and when it matters most.