Intellectual Property in the Oil and Gas Industry as a Strategic Technological Asset

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of intellectual property from an auxiliary legal instrument into a strategic technological, engineering, and economic asset of oil and gas enterprises under conditions of
digitalization, global competition, energy transition, and increasing environmental requirements. It is substantiated that in the modern oil and gas industry, the results of engineering activities, digital technologies, software systems, automated production process control systems, and drilling technologies form the basis of enterprise
compectiveness and require comprehensive legal and economic protection. Modern approaches to the protection and commercialiazation of intellectual property objects in leading global jurisdictions, particularly in the European Union and the United States of America, are analyzed. A comparative analysis of the European and American models of intellectual property protection is carried out, and their specific features, advantages, and possibilities for adaptation to the conditions of the Ukrainian oil and gas sector are identified. Institutional, regulatory, and organizational aspects of intellectual property rights management in the domestic oil and gas sector are
investigated, and the key barriers to the implementation of international standards are outlined, including insufficient integration of intelectual property management into technical and economic planning systems, limited commercialization of technologies, and a low level of practical law enforcement. Particular attention is paid to the protection of digital technologies, algorithms, production data, digital twins of fields, and automated control systems, which create new intellectual property objects under conditions of industry digitalization. Based on the research results, practical recomendations are formulated to improve the efficiency of patent portfolio
management, integrate regulatory and market mechanisms for innovation protection, and develop a system for the commercialization of engineering solutions in the oil and gas industry of Ukraine. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of applying the obtained results in the formation of corporate intellectual property management strategies, the preparation of technical and economic feasibility studies for projects, and the development of mechanisms for technological modernization of oil and gas enterprises.