This article analyses the use of IT tools in the management of Intellectual Property in collaborative projects involving groups of firms and their customer organisations in the design, development, manufacture and maintenance of complex products. Through an in-depth study of IP management practice in collaborative defence projects we identify two contrasting approaches to the implementation of inter-organisational networks for the exchange of technical information. We find that, in both approaches, the IP management capacities offered by IT tools have not been fully utilised. The slow diffusion of available technological solutions can be attributed to organisational and regulatory factors.