What does Howard Dresner’s recent trademark registration mean?
He says that registering “Wisdom of Crowds” is “all about protecting intellectual property.” Well, obviously.
It’s obviously more than that, too. This is the guy who’s famed for naming and helping define the business intelligence industry. When he shows up at TDWI and other hardcore BI events, the bright lights of notoriety still gleam on his shiny head. This is Mr. BI, and he’s just trademarked a slogan I’d guess most BI types still don’t get.
He completed the registration in September, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office trademark database. In 2011, he also registered “Wisdom of Crowds Business Intelligence Market Study.”
Over the years, he’s had the good sense to migrate into the human side of BI and performance management. On those subjects, he’s written two books and publishes annual research reports. He also hosts the popular Friday-morning tweetchat “BI Wisdom.”
A trademark registration by itself is small, just a stake in the ground. It’s a just a marker on a new path, and I hope the industry follows his lead again.
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