This document discusses incorporating patent information into the front end of corporate innovation processes to improve return on investment. It argues that patents are critical calibration steps that can reveal whether a company can own the results of innovation efforts and have freedom to operate without litigation risk. The document provides a case study of a company that used patent analysis to avoid investing over $50 million in a project for biodegradable food packaging that would likely have faced blocking patents and inability to own the innovation. It acknowledges barriers to incorporating patents but argues incentives must be aligned between legal, R&D, and business teams to better integrate patent data into innovation decision making.