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Object documentationIntellectual Property (IP)

 

An Intellectual Property can consist of various components, which in turn are independent Intellectual Properties (IPs). A film, for instance, consists of pictures and music. A book is made up of various author contributions. Individual elements are represented as an IP product master record in the system.

In addition to information of a descriptive nature, such as Description, alias names, and so on, an Intellectual Property (IP) also contains information on the utilization rights. If the media company has provided the creative input, they automatically own the utilization rights to this IP. These rights can also be acquired from an author or licensor.

Rights are exploited in rights sales.

Note Note

To use the full range of functions for intellectual properties, you must first make the Customizing settings for business transactions according to the requirements of your company.

More detailed information on the configuration settings for intellectual properties is available in the Intellectual Property Management business scenarios in SAP Solution Manager.

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Master data on Intellectual Properties (IPs) is maintained using the IPM-specific product type IP. Defining separate basis categories and assigning corresponding set types to the basis categories for IPs provides you with a flexible means of managing your company-specific product data.

A master record describes the Intellectual Property and its attributes, which you define and assign according to the requirements of your media company.

Note Note

You can define hierarchical structures for attributes.

Examples of attributes that have a hierarchical structure in the standard configuration are the attribute content category and the rights dimension Territory. As a result you can define the higher-level structure node Europe for the Territory attribute and assign all European countries below this node.

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Rights to an IP are described in the product using the Rights Owned, Release Dates and Release Restrictions components. .

You define in Customizing which product attributes are used as rights dimensions in these components, for example, market, territory, or language.

Structure

You maintain product data in IPM using attributes. Attributes are combined in set types. Set types are represented on the user interface mainly as assignment blocks, for example, Content Categorization. However, attributes from certain set types, such as the title level and made for market information, are displayed in the IP Details.

You can define your own set types and assign these to product categories.

Note Note

The CRM WebClient UI also supports IPs that were created in an earlier release. Once this type of IP has been edited in the CRM WebClient UI, the system converts this IP to the new display format. During this process, the system assigns each rights group to a new rights scope created.

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Relationships for Intellectual Properties

Associated IPs are represented using relationships. Relationships between IPs are significant during the search for rights usage and royalties settlement.

Relationship Types Between Intellectual Properties

You can record the following relationship types between Intellectual Properties:

Relationship Types Between Intellectual Properties and Materials

The Material relationship is provided to reflect relationships between Intellectual Properties and Materials used to ship the content.

The IP-Related Sales Material relationship is provided to display the relationship between the Intellectual Properties and the physical product to be sold.

However, to use this relationship type, you must activate the business function Intellectual Property Management (CRM_IPM_1).

Relationship Types Between Intellectual Properties and Business Partners

The following relationship type is provided to reflect relationships between Intellectual Properties and Business Partners

Note Note

You can maintain the relationship types that you wish to inherit rights if you make the settings in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management by choosing Start of the navigation path Industry-Specific Solutions Next navigation step Media Next navigation step Intellectual Property Management Next navigation step Master Data Next navigation step Product Next navigation step Settings for Rights Generation Next navigation step Define Inheriting Relationship Types for Generation Formulas End of the navigation path.

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Note Note

If you copy an IP to create a new IP, the relationships from the source IP are not copied to the new IP. To copy all relationships from the existing IP to the new IP, use Business Add-In Activate Copying of Interlinkages. You do this in Customizing for Customer Relationship Management by choosing Start of the navigation path Industry-Specific Solutions Next navigation step Media Next navigation step Intellectual Property Management Next navigation step Master Data Next navigation step Product Next navigation step BAdIs Next navigation step Activate Copying of Interlinkages End of the navigation path.

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Integration

IP master data is the core element in the rights inventory for your media company and is used in license acquisition and license sales contracts.