The digital economy has turned enterprise value upside down. Now, over 70% of enterprise value is comprised of intangible assets. These assets that are not physical in nature (e.g., formulas, software code, processes, etc.), but are identifiable, can be bought and sold, and have value.1 As such, intangible assets can be a source of competitive advantage and among the most valuable assets that a company owns.
Despite this growth, intangible assets are largely uninsured because:
- Standard lines of insurance generally cover tangible assets only
- Specialty line policies mostly cover IP rights and legal events and focus more on infringement liability risk, not property risk, and
- Generally, policies do not cover financial loss resulting from non-legal events directly impacting a broader range of intangible assets
Why does this coverage gap matter? Because there is a broad range of events that impact tangible assets. They can be damaged, destroyed, lost, leaked, or taken. In fact, recent studies show that 93% of organizations are concerned about insider risks and nearly one in four insider incidents involve intangible assets.2 With less employee oversight due to the rise of hybrid and remote work environments and with the decrease in employee retention rates, both accidental and malicious insider events pose greater threats to an organization’s intangible assets and an organization’s ability to safeguard that value to the enterprise.
Having the ability to quantify the financial impact of these risks on a company’s valuable intangible assets and to secure the needed insurance allows organizations to both manage threats to those assets and minimize the related financial loss.
>80% of intangible assets worth $57 trillion are uninsured3
Intangible Asset Protection
Intangible Asset Protection (IAP) is a tailored insurance offering that protects against financial loss caused by accidental or malicious insider actions resulting in disclosed, misappropriated, damaged, destroyed, or lost non-public, proprietary intangible assets that are scheduled on the policy.
Examples of intangible assets eligible for coverage include:
- Proprietary databases
- Digital platforms
- Analytical models and algorithms
- Processes (e.g., for manufacturing)
- Pre-released original content (e.g., video games, movies, streaming media)
- R&D and/or product testing data
- Designs (e.g., semiconductor chip designs, manufacturing facility blueprints, vehicle designs)
To learn more, please request more information using the form on this webpage.
Footnotes
1 EverEdge Intangible Benchmark Index
2 DTEX ,Cyber Insider Report, 2022
3 Aon-Ponemon 2022 Intangible Assets Statement Impact Comparison Report
Disclaimer
Willis Towers Watson hopes you found the general information provided in this publication informative and helpful. The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon in lieu of consultation with your own legal advisors. In the event you would like more information regarding your insurance coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In North America, Willis Towers Watson offers insurance products through licensed entities, including Willis Towers Watson Northeast, Inc. (in the United States) and Willis Canada Inc. (in Canada).
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