The Ideon Council of Subsurface Experts (ICSE) brings together seasoned experts from across the mining value chain to help Ideon address the industry’s most pressing subsurface challenges. As a geophysicist, registered patent agent and lawyer called to the bar in Ontario and BC, Lance Follett brings an extensive background in intellectual property protection in the energy and high-tech space. He currently oversees corporate development, strategy, government relations, and legal affairs at Westport Fuel Systems.
In the fourth installment of our series introducing ICSE members, Lance discusses the importance of intellectual property protection in tech-driven industries, and offers insights into building long-lasting, global partnerships.
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Your career reflects a mix of technical, legal, and leadership experiences. What are some highlights or achievements that have been particularly impactful for you?
I started my career as an acquisition geophysicist doing quality control work in offshore seismic. I initially worked primarily with ideas and technology. I was, however, put into a management role early in my career where I oversaw a seismic operation. Although demanding, this experience was deeply rewarding and significantly shaped my early career. It was my first introduction to the importance of applying the proper management tools to ensure that ideas and technologies that are so critical in many organizations are fully realized.
After several years doing field work, I made the decision to go to law school. My legal career began in patent litigation and intellectual property (IP) protection, where I also worked on copyright, trade secret, and trademark matters. I later joined Westport, a clean-tech company focused on sustainable alternative fuel solutions, which, at the time that I joined, was a fast-growing startup that had just entered a joint venture with the global engine maker, Cummins.
Working in an early stage, small technology company that was trying to manage a complex relationship with a global engine giant, was entertaining. Frankly, I sense the experiences in the early days of Westport are not unlike the kind of challenges facing Ideon today in its partnerships with some of the world’s biggest mining companies.
As an ICSE member, how do you see your role in driving and protecting innovation in mining technology?
I contribute a more commercially oriented perspective within the ICSE council, complementing the deep technical expertise of other members. Having completed my studies in geophysics and worked in the field for several years, I have a foundational understanding of exploration principles. Bringing this experience together with my later experience helping grow an IP rich tech company should provide insights into how innovation is translated into real-world value.
I work with the Ideon team to clarify priorities around value creation, specifically how the company’s IP can be strategically leveraged. This includes thoughts on guiding decisions on IP protection, how best to allocate resources to secure IP across different markets, and types of agreements or partnerships that best support the company’s long-term objectives. I also have weighed in on potential areas of IP conflict with competitors. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that technology is directed towards creating meaningful value for customers, employees, shareholders, and all other stakeholders.
How important is IP protection in technology-driven industries?
IP strategy is a critical component in how value is created and safeguarded within a technology-driven organization. Securing patents and other forms of IP protection can serve a range of strategic purposes.
For some companies, the priority is to prevent others from using the patented technology, thereby establishing a clear competitive advantage. In other cases, IP protection functions as a signal to investors, demonstrating that the company’s innovations are defensible and that meaningful safeguards exist around core technologies. Intellectual property can also support commercialization by strengthening the positioning and credibility of the technology and Ideon in the market – which is an important step towards securing the partnerships that will allow Ideon to grow.
Having worked with a variety of stakeholders in the IP space, which core principles now guide your approach to building long-term partnerships with industry partners?
Partnership is an ongoing, evolutionary process. From the very first meeting, organization begin a continuously developing relationship and must refining the terms of that engagement over time, so they align with the goals of both parties and create value for all stakeholders involved. The focus should be on identifying the unique value each side brings to the table and determining how to capture it in a way that supports a genuinely collaborative outcome.
I believe the agreement or contract is only the beginning of a successful collaboration. Many partnerships falter because the relationship is not nurtured over time after the contract are signed. Circumstances evolve, but agreements are often not adapted to reflect that. Successful collaborations recognize that these dynamics are ultimately driven by relationships between people. They require ongoing attention, communication, and recalibration.
How do you approach long-term partnerships when engaging in international settings?
In an international setting, adapting your negotiating style and relationship development to different cultural expectations is essential. At its core, this is about approaching every interaction with empathy and curiosity (and a dose of vigilance) – recognizing that partners bring their own contexts, pressures, and perspectives to the table. And unless these can be articulated and understood on both sides of the table, it is difficult to make progress.
Cultural sensitivity is about understanding key dynamics, recognizing potential sensitivities, and engaging in a way that is respectful and constructive. This does not require exhaustive cultural expertise, but it does demand sufficient understanding to navigate interactions thoughtfully.
What is something you have learned about collaboration that you could only learn through real-world experience?
In my career, a key lesson that I have learned is that collaborations framed through an adversarial lens rarely succeeds in the long term. When one party approaches a negotiation with the primary intention of “winning,” any perceived advantage is often short-lived. The moment the counterparty recognizes that they have been placed at a disadvantage, the foundation of trust erodes, and the agreement loses its value and may even fall apart.
A reliable indicator of the health of a negotiation is the nature of the dialogue. Effective collaboration requires a continuous exchange of thoughtful questions aimed at understanding sensitivities, clarifying priorities, and prioritizing true values – as well as communicating these same perspectives to your counterparty. It is through this process of inquiry and reflection that partners can jointly refine ideas and shape agreements that endure.
Finally, recognizing how to navigate the power differential between a smaller technology company and a bigger global multinational is important. I have found that building one-to-one relationships within that institutional power imbalance is key to securing deals that ultimately succeed. Find your champion and help them to succeed in their organization – this is often a good way to unrealized value that is the goal of bringing two organizations together.
