The Competitive Advantage of Intellectual Property: A Practical Guide for Digital Small and Medium Enterprises
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Part of the IPowerSMEs initiative to raise awareness of the importance of intellectual property rights among SMEs, DIGITAL SME publishes “The Competitive Advantage of Intellectual Property: A Practical Guide for Digital Small and Medium Enterprises”
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Across the EU only 10 % of SMEs report that they own registered IPRs and 93 % of them have seen a positive impact resulting from that registration
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For those SMEs without registered intellectual property rights, the main reason for not registering was a lack of knowledge about what IP is and its benefits
Intangible assets hold the potential to grant small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a distinct competitive edge, especially in the digital sector. Available research indicates a strong link between IPR activity and economic performance of SMEs, and underscores the importance of making the IPR system in the EU as accessible as possible for European SMEs.
“The EUIPO is proud to have the support of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance through the IPowerSMEs initiative. Its main objective is to raise awareness about the importance of IP rights, fostering innovation and competitiveness within the business community. The success of this collaboration highlights the positive impact of working together to ensure the growth and sustainability of SMEs in the global market.”
Richelle Spiekerman – Project Manager, Ideas Powered for Business Network, European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
To contribute to a more supportive innovation ecosystem for SMEs, DIGITAL SME in collaboration with sector experts, published “The Competitive Advantage of Intellectual Property: A Practical Guide for Digital Small and Medium Enterprises”, providing a framework for digital SMEs to understand, protect, and leverage their IP assets. It covers various protections for digital products, including apps, websites, and software, through copyrights, trademarks, and designs. It delves into protecting software innovations with copyrights, patents, and trade secrets and examines the impact of artificial intelligence on IP management, offering practical recommendations for handling AI-generated outputs. The guide also explores strategic IP exploitation through licensing models such as SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS, and discusses leveraging IP to for different funding opportunities, supported by case studies and practical tools. Additionally, it provides practical IP checklists for different business phases, ensuring comprehensive IP protection from pre-launch to post-launch stages. By equipping SMEs with these insights, the guide aims to foster innovation and strategic IP management, enabling digital SMEs to thrive in today’s competitive market.
“In today’s knowledge-based economy, SMEs need the right tools to master intellectual property. This empowers them to exploit their innovations, differentiate their brands, and ultimately drive sustainable growth. The guide, developed by sector experts with the support of EUIPO provides SMEs with practical insights and strategies to navigate the complexities of the market and secure their place at the forefront of their industries.”
Sebastiano Toffaletti – Secretary-General (European DIGITAL SME Alliance)
The guide was developed as part of the IPowerSMEs initiative supported by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Through expert insights, a collection of best practices and a mapping of most relevant stakeholders across Europe, IPowerSMEs supports businesses enhance their competitive edge and drive sustainable growth in the global market.