6 ◾ The Innovative Lean Enterprise
cannot be physically touched. These assets are just as important for compa-
nies as their physical assets. Intangible assets are more difficult to imitate, as
they are not as transparent as physical assets. These assets come in a variety
of alternate forms and provide companies with a competitive edge when
more are leveraged. Some examples of intangible assets are patents, trade-
marks, trade names, trade secrets, trade dress, and other various forms of
goodwill.
Besides assets, there are other forms of barriers to imitation. Some
of these barriers include goodwill, such as brand power. Strong brands
result in a company having more market worth than the worth of their
physical assets. Other barriers, some a ...