Some of the biggest news in the past few years regarding IP and patents hasn’t come from innovation but rather from acquisition of innovation. One of the most-discussed was Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp, a free messaging app for mobile devices, that closed for $19 billion.

The big question on everyone’s lips was this: Why would Facebook, which has its own robust messaging system and also costs nothing to users, want to purchase a less popular product with fewer bells and whistles? Even now, reports state that Facebook has lost money on the deal, but they’re still pleased as punch with their purchase.

When you want examples for how long it can take to lose your market share before you notice you’re in trouble, examine the American car manufacturing landscape. And, if you want examples of how permanent—or semi-permanent, at the very least—that loss of market share can be, again, there is no better example than Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.

When most people think about mitigating corporate risk with IP and patents, long, drawn-out court battles often come to mind. All too often, companies begin considering how patent information can help them avoid risk when they’ve already encountered that risk. Let’s get in front of the problem.

Remember some of the biggest companies of the last thirty years? We bet you had a Nintendo game system, complete with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt games. You probably went to Blockbuster on Friday nights. You probably had a Blackberry phone and marveled at the ability to simply check your email by phone. All these things were so amazing that they couldn’t possibly be improved upon, right?