| Offshore outsourcing is a business strategy that involves contracting with a partner who can take over certain aspects of a company's business, such as information technology (IT) functions, in the interests of efficiency and cost savings. The purpose of this study was to analyze the intellectual property protection issues to achieve a better understanding of the posture of offshore outsourcing companies towards (a) IP due diligence and risk assessment in the pre-deal phase of offshore outsourcing contracts, (b) the role of offshore outsourcing companies' intellectual property (IP) and risk management principles and priorities in active offshore vendor selection, and (c) specific strategies for IP protection as part of contracts (either signed or in discussion) with offshore vendors. A quantitative survey was conducted to collect the attitude, perception, and opinions of professionals engaged or have been engaged in offshore outsourcing. In total, 307 participants contributed to the study. Data analysis revealed that, in general, United States companies involved in offshore outsourcing take necessary safeguards to protect the intellectual property. However, participants identified key areas of concern and made a number of recommendations for improving the security of intellectual property in offshore outsourcing. |
