WIPO SMEs Newsletter July 2011

By the SMEs Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

WIPO SMEs Newsletter is a monthly e-publication providing readers with useful intellectual property (IP) information contained in articles, case studies, forthcoming IP/SMEs relevant events, and published presentations featured on our web site. We hope you will find it useful and informative. We encourage you to share the newsletter or items of interest with friends and colleagues. For past issues and information on the activities of the SMEs Division, please visit http://www.wipo.int/sme.

NEWS

Making Intellectual Property Work for Business: A Handbook for Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations Setting up Intellectual Property Services

Business membership organizations around the world can now benefit from a new practical guide on establishing business support services relating to intellectual property (IP) developed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). "Making intellectual property work for business: A handbook for chambers of commerce and business associations setting up intellectual property services" provides practical guidance on the key areas where business membership organizations can integrate IP into their services. This user-friendly handbook is written to support a wide range of basic to more advanced IP services and contains a large number of references to online resources.

Official Release of the Vietnamese IP PANORAMA

The Vietnamese version of the first ten modules of IP PANORAMA ^TM multimedia toolkit which the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP) created, with funds provided by the WIPO United States Patent and Trademark Office Funds-in-Trust and partially by NOIP, under an agreement between WIPO and NOIP has been recently released to the public. The Vietnamese version is available via online at http://www.ippanorama.com.vn/ which is also linked to http://www.wipo.int/sme/en/multimedia/.

CD-ROMs of the Vietnamese version will be distributed free of charge for non-commercial purposes to Vietnamese SMEs and the public via NOIP and its related institutions.

Translated Version of the WIPO ITC guide, “Exchanging Value - Negotiating Technology Licensing Agreements - A Training Manual” from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Published

The State Office of Industrial Property (SOIP) of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the support of WIPO published the translated version.

Translated Version of the WIPO ITC guide, “Secrets of IP for Exporters” from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Published

The State Office of Industrial Property (SOIP) of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with the support of WIPO published the translated version.

Translated Versions from Bangladesh of the four IP for Business guides, “Making a Mark”, “ Looking Good”, “Inventing the Future” and “Creative Expression” Published

The Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks of the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh with the support of WIPO, has published the Bengali translation of four WIPO guides entitled, “ Making a Mark”, “ Looking Good”, “ Inventing the Future” and “ Creative Expression”.

Customized Versions from the Philippines of the four IP for Business guides, “Making a Mark”, “ Looking Good”, “Inventing the Future” and “Creative Expression” Published

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines has published in English the customized versions of four WIPO guides entitled, “ Making a Mark”, “ Looking Good”, “ Inventing the Future” and “ Creative Expression”.

WIPO Director General Announces Rights Registry Project for West African States

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry today announced a project to build a common digital platform which will help streamline the identification of protected musical works across 11 West African countries, helping creators from these countries get paid for their work through a simplified and standardized rights registration system. U.S. firm Google will be WIPO’s technology partner in developing this new web-based system, which builds upon WIPOCOS (WIPO Software for Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights).

Agreement on Transfer of Rights Paves Way to Treaty on Performers’ Rights

WIPO’s top copyright negotiating body will recommend to the September session of the General Assembly to resume a Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances after agreement on the last outstanding issue relating to the transfer of rights. The convening of a diplomatic conference signals entry into the final phase of treaty negotiations, with the objective of concluding a treaty that would shore up the rights of performers in their audiovisual performances.

TRAINING/LEARNING RESOURCES ON IP ASSET MANAGEMENT

Invitation to the Third Online Session of the 2nd Annual KIPO-WIPO-KAIST-KIPA Advanced International Certificate Course on IPR & Business Based on IP PANORAMA™ Multimedia Toolkit in English

Registration to the third online session of the 2 ^nd Annual KIPO-WIPO-KAIST-KIPA Advanced International Certificate Course on IPR & Business based on IP PANORAMA in English is now available from June 22 to July 19, 2011. The session will be offered from July 20 to August 30, 2011 through the www.ippanorama.com website. The students who successfully completed the online session will be eligible for the IP essay test. Up to 10 students from developing countries will be selected, depending on their performance in the IP essay test, to participate in the Offline course with a scholarship to cover their travel and stay costs in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from November 8 to 10, 2011.

For more details, please see at www.ippanorama.com .

General Information on Training of Trainers Program, the SMEs Division, WIPO

The SMEs Division of WIPO is offering Training of Trainers (TOT) Programs in those countries that have translated and/or adapted the basic materials on IP for Business published by the Division. These Programs are with the objective of creating a critical mass of trainers in the country who have the basic knowledge, skills and experience to provide preliminary IP assistance to SMEs on effective IP asset management. For more details, please see here.

IP PANORAMA ^TM Multimedia Toolkit

The IP PANORAMA ™ multimedia toolkit is now available in English, Arabic, Thai and Hungarian through the SMEs Division’s website. The English and Arabic versions are also available on CD-ROM on request. The learning points (in English) of theIP PANORAMA ™ multimedia toolkit have recently been uploaded as pdf format files on the website, which are also available as a separate book. Anyone interested in receiving a free copy of the CD-ROM and/or book containing the learning points may send an email to sme@wipo.int providing full postal address, including telephone number, and the purpose for which the CD-ROM/book would be used.

LINKS

The 2011 Intellectual Property Survey Report

This report based on the online Marsh/Liberty International Underwriters Intellectual Property Survey 2010 rates trade secrets as the most important IP right followed by trademarks and patents, and US companies value patents greater than their European counterparts. Surprisingly, the importance of trademarks is much higher in Europe when compared to the US. The results of the survey also indicate that SMEs value patents higher than larger companies. The perceived power of their brand was high among all surveyed but in this instance it was larger companies that found it to be more important than SMEs and private businesses.

The cost of IP infringement actions are often substantial with 23% of the respondents having had actions which cost in excess of US$1m to defend. Larger companies, perhaps not surprisingly, usually incurred the higher costs in defending an infringement action. It is worth highlighting, however, that the highest value IP infringement claim reported to those undertaking the survey actually belonged to an SME company, which demonstrates that this should still be an actively managed risk for SMEs as well as large companies alike.

In the wake of globalisation 27.1% of respondents felt that the competitive need to change business models and introduce new product lines has considerably increased the risk of IP infringements. When looking at the cost of litigation involved with enforcement, unsurprisingly it was the SME companies that felt that the high cost was a barrier. What was surprising was that it was larger companies that were more concerned with the cost of litigation when it came to defensive litigation, with 47.8% stating this was an issue for them.

The topic of IP and intangible assets is becoming more and more prominent to businesses around the globe and it will be interesting to see if there is a move towards the risks associated with IP becoming the subject of more risk management discussion.

Brand-Based Competition in the Agri-Food Sector: Evidences from Italian SMEs

This paper reports on the role of brand management by SMEs in the agri-food sector through an analysis of case studies of such SMEs in Southern Italy. It found that firms may see an increase in business performances and customer relationships through a good brand management policy.

Going Global: How Canadian Companies View Intellectual Property

This survey, which was conducted by Fasken Martineau, a Canadian consulting company, shows the following empirical evidence as to how Canadian companies view the importance, value and role of IP in their business. : First, Canadian companies continue to view IP as driving their business model, and that further, when considering IP protection and enforcement, a high percentage of respondents are adopting a more global outlook. Second, the 2009 survey results include evidence that there is often a significant disconnect between the respondents’ general understanding of the importance of IP and their more specific understanding as to the nature of each IP asset in their businesses and how to best leverage those assets. Third, a surprising number of respondents polled indicated they had already been involved in a legal dispute involving IP. Finally, despite this litigation risk, respondents have been slow in adopting the appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

Recent Papers of Harvard Business School

HBS Cases: KFC's Explosive Growth in China; Embracing Paradox; and, The Contingent Effect of Absorptive Capacity: An Open Innovation Analysis.

Question the Conventional Wisdom on Patenting and Finance for Start-ups

This article, written by Sabrina Kiefer, Venture Coach and Business Plan Manager in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group at Imperial College London, suggests some practical thoughts and considerations for start-ups when they want to commercialize an invention and to launch a company.

Intellectual Property Success Stories

Here is a story of Spotify and DQ Entertainment which are very successful businesses that prove the importance of protecting intellectual property rights.

The IP Buck Stops Here: The Role of a CIPO

http://www.bpcouncil.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleID=932.

FOTHCOMING EVENT

WIPO Arbitration Workshop, October 13-14, 2011 (Geneva, Switzerland)

Arbitration is a procedure in which a dispute is submitted, by agreement of the parties, to one or more arbitrators who make a binding decision on the dispute. In choosing arbitration, the parties opt for a private dispute resolution procedure instead of going to court. The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center will offer an Arbitration Workshop in Geneva on Thursday, October 13 and Friday, October 14, 2011. This Workshop will provide intensive basic training of a practical nature for party representatives in arbitration and for arbitrators, as well as others wishing to familiarize themselves with the international arbitration process. The training, which will be conducted by experienced international arbitrators, will focus on the main principles of international commercial arbitration law and practice, with particular reference to the practical application of the WIPO Arbitration and Expedited Arbitration Rules (as well as the WIPO Expert Determination Rules) in intellectual property and technology disputes.

Further information is available at http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/events/

PAST EVENT

WIPO Training of Trainers Program on Effective Intellectual Property Asset Management by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, April 10 to 14, 2011 (Doha, Qatar) More

NOTE:

The SMEs Division welcomes voluntary contributions of articles, case studies, news items, useful links and relevant information concerning forthcoming events of interest to entrepreneurs and SMEs for inclusion in future issues of this newsletter; contributions may be sent by email to sme@wipo.int.

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The past issues of this newsletter, since August 2001, may be accessed here.