Reaching out and working with externals may be easier said than done, but there is indeed a range of options available to companies wishing to really engage with external innovators and inventors. There is no one approach which can be described as the best, and there is no one size fits all as there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each. In this chapter, I explore some of the different and rather diverse ways and means which exist for companies to engage with external innovators, highlighting some real-life examples and discussing some of the ways IP and especially patent issues are handled for each approach:

I should stress that the order listed here is completely random and that there are definitely other options available which are not listed here. Some approaches listed provide a direct link to the external innovator and inventor while others are rather indirect. Some clearly

54 H a r v e s t i n g E x t e r n a l I n n o v a t i o n

qualify as concrete ways and means to link to external innovators and inventors while a few barely do so, but are still worth including in the discussion.