Should CFOs Track Patents and Trademarks?

I believe it is a valuable service when a CFO keeps track of the Patents and Trademarks for a company. Patents and Trademarks can get very complicated and therefore easy to lose track of especially if there are several. Understanding where each Patent and Trademark is in the process will be one less area for a business owner to worry about. Suggesting patents and trademark opportunities is another CFO Service that can be performed that would be helpful. If the company imports be aware that if a product has FDA approval that there can be some discounts on Duty and Tariffs on those imports. Also be aware that if a company is not registered with the FDA for certain products that shipments can be refused at customs. I learned about this when I was tracking a patent for a client. Another important factor in tracking Trademarks and Patents are understanding the costs. Legal fees can get way out of hand. Most recently I have used www.legalzoom.com and had a lot of success in filing a trademark at a quarter of the cost.