It seems like the topic is about indirect protection (in other words going after infringers)
Chester* and Hsu** 12, * founding principal of CHESTER pllc. He is also an adjunct professor at Baylor University Law School, teaching courses on international business and trade law; received his J.D. from South Texas College of Law and his LL.M in International Economic Law from the University of Houston Law Center. ** an associate in the Dallas office of CHESTER pllc; She received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from Baylor University School of Law. (J.F.(Jim)* and Sophilia**, Summer 2012, “ARTICLE: GOING GLOBAL: A LEGAL PRIMER FOR INNOVATION- AND KNOWLEDGE-BASED COMPANIES”, 20 Currents Int'l Trade L.J. 3, 4. Lexis accessed online via KU libraries)
Once a company has identified and taken inventory of all of its IP assets, it needs to take action to protect them. There are two basic means of protecting IP: direct and indirect. Whenever possible, it is advisable to employ both direct and indirect means to protect IP, both in the United States and abroad.
Direct IP protection refers to using contracts and individual relationships to protect IP rights, such as using non-disclosure agreements with anyone exposed to the secrets (including employees). This allows IP owners to define the scope of their IP rights and identify when an infringement occurs. However, a key limitation is that IP owners can typically enforce their IP rights only against those with whom they have contractual relationships.
Indirect IP protection involves taking advantage of government registration protections to secure IP rights against a much broader group of would-be infringers. 2 Due to the broad scope of protection, a key limitation of indirect IP protection is that it is difficult to spot infringement, particularly when the infringing activity is isolated or remote. In addition, because IP owners must register in each country where they seek IP protection, this can become an expensive process and an administrative burden. 3