Now in paperback, the inside story of "the greatesttransformation of Microsoft since it became a multinationalcompany" Marshall Phelps's remarkable eyewitness story offers lessons forany executive struggling with today's innovation and intellectualproperty challenges. Burning the Ships offers Phelps'sdramatic behind-the-scenes account of how he overcame internalresistance and got Microsoft to open up channels of collaborationwith other firms. * Discover the never-before-told details of Microsoft's secrettwo-year negotiations with Red Hat and Novell that led to theworld's first intellectual property peace treaty and technicalcollaboration with the open source community * Witness the sometimes-nervous support Bill Gates and CEO SteveBallmer gave to Phelps in turning their company around 180 degreesfrom market bully to collaborative industry partner * Offers an extraordinary behind-the-scenes view of thehigh-level deliberations of the company's senior-most executives,the internal debates and conflicts among executives andrank-and-file employees alike over the company's new collaborativedirection There are lessons in this book for executives in everyindustry-most especially on the role that intellectual property canplay in liberating previously untapped value in a company andopening up powerful new business opportunities in today's era of"open innovation." Here is a powerful inside account of the dawn ofa new era at what is arguably the most powerful technology companyon earth.

Marshall Phelps is Microsoft's corporate Vice President for Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy and is responsible for setting the global intellectual property strategies and policies for the company. He also works with governments, other companies in the technology industry, and outside institutions to broaden awareness of intellectual property issues. Phelps joined Microsoft in June 2003 after a twenty-eight-year career at IBM Corp., where he served as vice president for intellectual property and licensing and built its world-leading $2-billion-a-year licensing program. Phelps is an executive in residence at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and was elected to the initial class of the Intellectual Property Hall of Fame in 2006. He may be reached at mphelps@microsoft.com.

David Kline is a journalist, author, and intellectual property consultant who has earned acclaim for his unique ability to demystify complex IP issues and explain them in a clear and relevant manner to a broad business audience. His bestselling 2000 book, Rembrandts in the Attic from Harvard Business School Press, is considered a seminal work in the field of intellectual property strategy within corporate America. As a journalist, Kline has covered some of the world's most critical wars, famines, and other crises for the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, NBC and CBS News, the Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Wired, and other major media. He may be reached at dkline@well.com.

Praise for Burning The Ships

"Told with a litigator's attention to detail, Burning the Ships recounts the journey that forced Microsoft to face its own 'succeed or die' moment. It's a powerful high-stakes lesson in strategy and survival that speaks volumes to business leaders of all stripes about the courage required to embrace radical business transformation."
William J. Amelio, President and CEO, Lenovo

"Intellectual property does not show up on your balance sheet, and your board of directors would not recognize it if it were set out on a table in the lobby. But do not kid yourself: in an era of ever-commoditizing supply and distribution, IP is the essential fabric out of which your competitive advantage will be fashioned. Burning the Ships gives you an insider's look into how this engine of economic returns operates and what you can do to maintain it."
Geoffrey A. Moore, author, Crossing the Chasm and Dealing with Darwin

"It would be difficult to overestimate the influence that Marshall Phelps has had on corporate thinking in regard to intellectual property. Simply put, he is the one we look to for guidance in such matters. Burning the Ships will be widely read in Japan and Europe as well as America."
Michio Naruto, former vice chairman, Fujitsu Limited

"Phelps and Kline offer us a first look at tomorrow's business strategy, which of necessity involves the collaborative use of intellectual property. Don't miss out on the chance to see what future business leaders will be thinking about."
Nathan Myhrvold, CEO, Intellectual Ventures

"Academics have spilled a good deal of ink over the past fifteen years on the question of how intellectual property can be deployed to enhance innovation and enterprise success. Finally we're getting the skinny on this vital issuenot just from someone who's been in the trenches, but from Marshall Phelps himself, the man who revolutionized and set the standard for the management of intellectual property across the whole information technology sector."
Wesley Marc Cohen, PhD, Frederick C. Joerg Professor of Business Administration, Professor of Strategy, Economics, and Management, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

Marshall Phelps's remarkable eyewitness story offers lessons for any executive struggling with today's innovation and intellectual property challenges. Burning the Ships offers Phelps's dramatic behind-the-scenes account of how he overcame internal resistance and got Microsoft to open up channels of collaboration with other firms.

• Discover the never-before-told details of Microsoft's secret two-year negotiations with Red Hat and Novell that led to the world's first intellectual property peace treaty and technical collaboration with the open source community
• Witness the sometimes-nervous support Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer gave to Phelps in turning their company around 180 degrees from market bully to collaborative industry partner
• Offers an extraordinary behind-the-scenes view of the high-level deliberations of the company's senior-most executives, the internal debates and conflicts among executives and rank-and-file employees alike over the company's new collaborative direction

There are lessons in this book for executives in every industry-most especially on the role that intellectual property can play in liberating previously untapped value in a company and opening up powerful new business opportunities in today's era of "open innovation." Here is a powerful inside account of the dawn of a new era at what is arguably the most powerful technology company on earth.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Chapter 1 The Collaboration Imperative.

Chapter 2 Like Cortez Burning His Ships.

Chapter 3 Money Isn't Money Anymore.

Chapter 4 A Very Secret Mission.

Chapter 5 Leadership Starts at the Top.

Chapter 6 The Road Ahead (with Apologies to Bill Gates).

Index.