Ask eight questions to decide whether patents or trade secrets best govern how your assets turn into revenue, margins and loyalty, say Tamara Moll and Mathias Karlhuber at Cohausz & Florack

As the cost of protecting patents escalates, many ventures ask themselves whether it would better to keep their IP a secret. As part of a clear plan for building your IP portfolio that fits your needs and actually makes a difference, you should consider both, protecting your revenue streams and putting legal theory second. For each asset, ask yourself eight questions: