SME preparation

• DKPTO Customer Service (DK)
• Intellectual Asset Management by IAC (UK)
• IPR Protection in third Countries (IT)
• Innovation Protection Programme (AT)
• IP Prediagnostic Service (FR)

DKPTO Customer Service (DK)

Title of case

The Customer Service of Denmark’s Patent and Trademark Office

Organisation

Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO)

IPR Expert Group Recommendation

The design of all support services has to start with the needs of users (SMEs) and have a distinctive customer service orientation.

Service areas that the case illustrates

• Extensive information provision
• On-line registration facilities
• Wide-ranging advice offered
• Structured training programme

DKPTO’s services relate to:

• Patents
• Utility models
• Trademarks
• Designs

Brief description

The Danish Patent and Trademark Office is characterised by a strong service orientation. This has developed over a number of years as the organisation has moved from being a traditional patent office, largely concerned with receiving and registering patent information to one that actively promotes the business exploitation of intellectual property, both directly and in co-operation with a range of other agencies.

This service approach, reinforced by a requirement for the DKPTO to be self-financing, makes the expertise of DKPTO staff available to enterprises in a way that promotes an on-going adaptation to their needs. The organisation is in a strong position to develop new services, particularly those relating to IPR enforcement.

Full description

The Danish Patent and Trademark Office was established in 1894. It is the official body in Denmark responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks, utility models and designs and is the national competence centre for information on IPR and the protection of technology and know-how.

DKPTO’s mission is to help enterprises bring their ideas to fruition and in its Vision Statement it expresses the ambition to be the natural choice of business as the partner to support strategic decisions on intellectual property matters, through its professionalism, knowledge and service.

Information and Support Services

The starting point for IPR enforcement is effective intellectual asset management and access to good business intelligence. DKPTO provides a number of professional services in these areas for enterprises of all sizes, not least through extensive web-based provision. An English-language website offers an international service. Basic information products are provided for free, while more advanced and tailored services are provided at a charge.

The following outlines the core services:

On-line searching of a range of IPR databases allows information-gathering relating to patents, utility models, trademarks and designs. This service covers a large number of IPR databases and is free of charge.

Access for IPR professionals is provided via a service known as PVSonline.

An on-going commercial patent watch is provided through IPsurvey™, which allows enterprises to keep up-to-date with the most recent developments in their particular field of technology and also to identify potential business partners or gather information on competitors. The information collected is delivered regularly to the client’s desktop.

Services specifically tailored to individual clients make use of the expertise of DKPTO staff and cover novelty analysis, validity analysis, technical state-of-art analysis, and clearance investigation.

IPscore ^®is an on-line tool that helps enterprises in their development of IP-management, allowing them to progress through a thorough evaluation of their patent and technological development projects, with different sections identifying the relative strength of various strategic, technological, market and finance factors.

It is also possible to file trademark applications on-line.

All this provision is supported by a service centre with staff able to answer a range of questions, on-line guides and brochures and access to the DKPTO’s extensive library.

Training offered to enterprises comes in a variety of forms and there is an active programme of seminars, both at the DKPTO’s headquarters near Copenhagen and in other regions of Denmark. Training is further provided for other agencies, for instance, through each of Denmark’s 5 Growth Houses (incubators) in their regional centres. Course material can be delivered on-line or can be tailored for in-house delivery on the enterprise’s own premises.

One of the latest developments has been IP-Marketplace, which was launched in September 2007. This facility, which is available in English, provides a forum for enterprises to buy and sell patents, arrange licensing and find business partners. It provides background information on undertaking these activities and has model contracts to guide implementation.

Most recently in 2008, the DKPTO launched a free management tool, IP Response , which customers can use to test their company’s work developing intellectual property. By answering a series of questions the customer receives an electronically-generated report that provides an overview of the company’s efforts and results with suggestions on future IP work.

IPR Enforcement

The Danish Government has made the fight against piracy and counterfeiting a major priority and the topic has been included in the Government Platform from November 2007. The DKPTO provides the secretariat for a ministerial committee charged with making proposals for counter-acting piracy and counterfeiting and the DKPTO’s performance contract for 2008 specifically includes a section on this area.

DKPTO’s service orientation puts it in an excellent position to develop specific provision for enforcement, in line with the recommendations of the ministerial committee. This process will be assisted by the nature of the role of the DKPTO in the IP-Base network, where staff have a particular responsibility for enforcement matters.

Co-operation with Other Organisations

Co-operation in the delivery of services includes close work with the Danish Technological Institute, with innovation centres and increasingly with universities and business schools. It also includes co-operation with private sector providers of legal and business advice (the DKPTO’s status as a public organisation restricts it from competing in the area of business advice with private providers).

Two ‘IP- Dialog’ groups, with enterprise representatives, meet to discuss IP policy and the DKPTO’s services. One is concerned with patents and utility models - the other with trademarks and design.

Transferability & Performance

DKPTO has some 240 staff in total and there is a budget for 2008 of some 200 million kroner (€ 27 million) of which 24.4 million kroner (€ 3.26 milllion) are devoted to information and support. DKPTO is self-financing, receiving no subsidy from the Danish government.

A number of instruments and quality assurance mechanisms are in place to further increase efficiency and service quality. Customer satisfaction, response time and delivery time are benchmarked and analysed to improve performance and specific targets are set out in the performance contract.

In delivering its programme of services, the DKPTO has a rolling performance contract with the responsible government department, the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs. The contract sets out the aims and corresponding targets for the DKPTO for the current and subsequent years. Among these aims, the provision and development of support services figure as strategic objectives, in a context that emphasises the market-orientation of the information and support services and their openness to international competition. The aim is to encourage enterprises to use the agency’s services on a competitive basis and this, it is recognised, requires a continuous adaptation of the DKPTO’s information and support products.

In the current performance contract (2008), targets include increasing the sale of competitive information products by between 15 and 20% (depending on the area), improving on the previous year’s user satisfaction rating and, specifically, achieving a situation where less than 5% of services provided are deemed unsatisfactory by clients.

In addition to DKPTO’s self-evaluation, the benchmarking report of the Austrian Institute for SME Research (KMFA) on support services for SMEs in the field of IPR rated the services of the DKPTO highly, citing definite evidence of additionality.

Further information

Web site:

• http://startguiden.dkpto.dk/
• http://www.dkpto.dk/pvsonline/(professional access site)
• http://int.dkpto.dk/(English language site)

Contact details:

The Danish Patent and Trademark Office

Helgeshoej Allé 81

2630 Taastrup

Denmark

Tel: +45 43 50 80 00

E-mail: pvs@dkpto.dk

Intellectual Asset Management by IAC (UK)

Title of case

The development of Intellectual Asset Management by the Scottish Intellectual Asset Centre

Organisation

The Intellectual Asset Centre (IAC), Scotland

IPR Expert Group Recommendations

IPR support services should all be based on the principles of Intellectual Asset Management (IAM);

Intellectual Asset Management has to be a core part of the promotion of innovation. Innovation agencies and innovation support programmes have to make effective provision for IPR enforcement.

Areas that the case illustrates

• SME competence building
• Intellectual asset management
• Integration with innovation support
• Integration with general business support

The IAC s services relate to:

• Intellectual Assets
• Trade Secrets,
• Licensing & Confidentiality Agreements
• All forms of Intellectual Property

Brief description

Fundamental to the approach of the IPR Enforcement Expert Group has been the proposition that effective enforcement begins with good intellectual property management.

Furthermore, the Expert Group has emphasised that the best IPR support makes use of the competence building approach that is generally considered best practice for business support agencies. Rather than simply addressing the immediate problem, support agencies try to help enterprises develop their general business management capabilities as a way of avoiding future problems or, at least, being in a better position to address them. In the context of IPR enforcement, this approach is taken to mean the promotion of intellectual asset management.

Full description

The Intellectual Assets Centre (IAC) was created by the Scottish Executive in 2003, with the support of the two main economic development bodies in Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The aim was to have a focal point for the promotion of the systematic management of ideas and expertise within Scottish businesses, since the identification and development of ‘intellectual assets’ were seen to be critical to the performance of enterprises in a modern knowledge economy. The Centre therefore has a special place within the broader promotion of innovation in the Scottish economy.

Intellectual assets include the legally recognised forms of intellectual property – patents, trademarks, copyright etc. – but also a wider group of intangible assets owned by an enterprise - brands, goodwill, know-how, trade-secrets, technical information and contracts - in fact, almost all of its intangible assets apart from human capital.

The propositions that these intellectual assets are a major source of competitive advantage and company value for modern enterprises and that their recognition, management and exploitation are a strategic component of innovation policy are at the core of the IAC’s activities.

The IPR Enforcement Expert Group has emphasised that effective IPR enforcement begins with good intellectual property management. SMEs cannot protect their intellectual property, if they have not taken steps to identify it clearly, register it where appropriate, and build its proper management into the day-to-day operational practices of the enterprise in all the relevant areas. Furthermore, the Expert Group sees advantages in managing intellectual property within a framework that starts with a broader conception of the potential value of a range of intangible assets that are owned by an enterprise.

IAC Services

In applying this approach, the IAC has developed its own distinctive resources and tools which include:

• A programme of events and workshops - many of these are run in conjunction with partner organisations; workshops illustrate IA management through a mixture of real life case studies, interactive exercises and games.
• Tailored one-to-one support to individual companies
• An information service, including the following downloadable resources:
  • Publications on invention and innovation, licensing and collaborating for success, along with a Brief Guide to Patenting;
  • An IA Questionnaire : a diagnostic tool to help identify intellectual assets and where they are important for a business;
  • An IA Glossary : lists terms commonly used relating to Intellectual Assets and provides clear explanations of their meaning;
  • The IA Register : a checklist to facilitate the identification of IA and to generate ideas of what types of IA an organisation may own;
  • The IA Audit : a step-by-step audit of intellectual assets, that helps businesses record them by category;
  • Case Studies : a series of studies describing the application of IA principles within particular businesses;
  • The Reference Library : on-line access to books and articles on intellectual assets and related areas.

Special provision is made for specific sectors, such as software companies, where assistance is provided in conjunction with a specialised agency.

In pursuing its objectives at an operational level (see under Evaluation & Performance), the IAC aims to become a "centre of knowledge" and a hub for activities in this area, developing a regional network of local expert advisers and establishing partnerships and networks with private and public organisations, but also, of course, developing tools and support for effective IAM in order to facilitate IA awareness and promote effective knowledge dissemination. Over time the IAC wishes to develop a community of interest in IA around which other initiatives could cluster and generate a model for reproduction elsewhere in the UK and further afield. In other words, the IAC aims to develop its own IA for reproduction after the initial Scottish pilot. As a result, a series of partnerships have been built up with other business support organisations.

Overall then, the Intellectual Assets Centre has become an engine for disseminating ideas on the approach that the Expert Group wish to promote. This is further facilitated by the international section of the IA’s web site, with its news sections and an international web forum and is also illustrated by the Italian section that is provided in collaboration with the University of the Basilicata.

Transferability & Performance

Creating a specific organisation to promote intellectual asset management was the result of a strategic decision by the Scottish Executive and by the two main economic development bodies in Scotland - Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. However IAM is to be promoted, high level recognition of its strategic importance is an important step towards its effective delivery.

Evaluation and measurement of performance is part of the IAC culture and is required by the IAC’s funders. In addition, the benchmarking report of the Austrian Institute for SME Research (KMFA) on support services for SMEs in the field of IPR rated the IAC highly.

The IAC Strategic Plan contains the following objectives which are in line with the IPR Expert Group’s recommendations for effective IPR enforcement:

• To put IA on the business agenda - encouraging businesses from all sectors to understand the benefits of effective IA management;
• To make the case for IA as a business tool and to realise the opportunities that effective IA use and leverage can present;
• To provide support (advice and management tools) for the visualisation of IA;
• To provide initial gap analyses and risk assessment diagnostics both for the identification of gaps in IA knowledge in general as well as for specific audits of business risks and inadequacies in protection;
• To provide support (advice and management tools) for management, valuation and leverage of IA;
• To understand the role of policing IA use and abuse by others and issues of enforcement and competitor analysis/intelligence; and
• To link appropriately with professional assistors and associated regulatory and consultative bodies e.g. the UK Patent Office, and with the public and private providers of IA/IP, risk assessment, technology information etc.

Further information

Web site:

• http://www.ia-centre.org.uk/
• http://www.ia-centre.org.uk/international/
• http://www.ia-centre.org.uk/italian/(Italian section)

Contact details:

Intellectual Assets Centre

Suite 6/6, SkyPark

8 Elliot Place,

Glasgow, G3 8EP

UK

Tel: +44 (0)141 243 4920

E-mail: info@ia-centre.org.uk

IPR Protection in third Countries (IT)

Title of case

Protecting the IPR of SMEs in third countries: the Italian Ministry of Economic Development

Organisation

Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM) together with the Directorate General for Trade Promotion within the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

IPR Expert Group Recommendations

There should be better co-ordination and a more consistent development of enforcement services in third countries.

Areas that the case illustrates

• Strategic co-ordination
• Enforcement strategy
• Addressing problems in third countries and international IP strategy
• Intelligence gathering
• Effective liaison internationally

The Italian Patent and Trademark Office’s services relate to:

• Patents
• Utility Models
• Trademarks
• Designs
• New Plant Varieties
• Semiconductor topographies

Brief description

An international network of 14 IP Helpdesks has been set up by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM).

Full description

Background & resources

The rationale for setting up the network of Helpdesks was to strengthen international cooperation in the area of IPR protection and enforcement and to respond to an identified need among Italian SMEs in third countries for advice and signposting to relevant local organisations on IPR issues generally, and enforcement issues in particular, including problems relating to the counterfeiting of goods.

The 14 Helpdesks were therefore set up in countries either where small Italian enterprises are particularly well represented/ active in particular sectors, or where the perceived risk of IPR infringement was higher.

The desks are located in ICE offices (Istituto per il Commercio Estero –Italian Trade Commission) worldwide. They offer free information and assistance to business in registering and enforcing IP in host countries and in market monitoring.

The Helpdesks are managed by individuals with expertise in IP issues, and particularly in supporting the enforcement needs of SMEs. In the case of each Helpdesk, an Italian IP expert works alongside their local IP expert counterpart.

Third countries where IP Helpdesks have been established to date include: China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong), India (New Delhi, Mumbai), Taiwan (Taipei), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), Korea (Seoul), United Arab Emirates(Dubai), the Russian Federation (Moscow), Turkey (Istanbul), Brazil (San Paolo) and the USA (New York).

In terms of the institutional set-up for the operation of the IP Helpdesks, the Italian Patent and Trademark Office works in close coordination with the Directorate General for Trade Promotion within the Ministry of Economic Development and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the near future will be working with the new National Committee for Combating Counterfeiting. The activities of the helpdesks also require the collaboration of the IP institutions of the relevant countries. This institutional collaboration provides a basis for developing economic relations between enterprises from Italy and from the host countries and gives them a long term perspective that is necessary now that there is a less clear distinctions between domestic and international markets and enterprises have to develop an international IP management strategy.

National patent offices play a crucial role in building confidence in international markets and creating a knowledge market where all the participants operate according to shared rules. In this way they make an important contribution to economic growth.

Enforcement

Legal assistance can be provided for certain cases whose solution is deemed of great importance to make economic activities in the relevant third country more transparent for the generality of enterprises. However, currently, no legal cases have been funded to date.

Integration into other IPR services and SME support

Given that the IP Helpdesks should not ‘crowd out’ private sector activity, there is generally a tendency to refer SMEs experiencing a problem or seeking redress to specialist legal or advisory service providers. Referrals are also made where appropriate to other types of publicly-funded support services available to Italian SMEs when doing business in third countries.

Transferability & Performance

Supervision and monitoring of the project activities of the IP Helpdesk network is carried out by a Scientific Committee made up of representatives of the Italian PTO, the Directorate General for Trade Promotion within the Ministry of Economic Development, the High Commissioner for combating counterfeiting (shortly to be replaced by the National Committee for Combating Counterfeiting) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is also responsible for decisions concerning counterfeiting pilot cases in third countries. The first meeting of the Scientific Committee took place on 25 June 2008 and the monitoring activities will be implemented starting from the last quarter of this year.

The scheme is an effective example of how Member States can develop bilateral relationships with institutional counterparts in third countries in order to strengthen international cooperation in IPR enforcement, raise greater awareness about particular areas of IPR faced by SMEs, and provide advisory and signposting assistance to SMEs to further sources of support.

Further information

Web site:

• http://www.uibm.gov.it/

A dedicated web site is under construction which will be accessible from the web sites of all administrations involved

Contact details:

Daniela Carosi

Italian Patent and Trademark Office

Ministry of Economic Development

Ufficio italiano brevetti marchi (UIBM)

Ministero dello sviluppo economic

Direzione generale per la proprietà industriale

Tel: +39 0647055644

Mail: daniela.carosi@sviluppoeconomico.gov.it

Innovation Protection Programme (AT)

Title of case

The Innovation Protection Programme of the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS)

Organisation

The Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS)

IPR Expert Group Recommendations

Effective enforcement by businesses has to begin with proper IP management;

Intellectual Asset Management has to be a core part of the promotion of innovation. Innovation agencies and innovation support programmes have to make effective provision for IPR enforcement;

There should be better co-ordination and a more consistent development of enforcement services in third countries;

A degree of experimentation ought to be encouraged and best practice exchanged.

Areas that the case illustrates

• SME competence building
• Intellectual asset management
• The provision of dedicated services
• Special provision in 3rd countries
• Integration with innovation support
• Integration with general business support

The AWS services relate to:

• Intellectual Assets
• Trade Secrets,
• Licensing & Confidentiality Agreements
• All forms of Intellectual Property

Brief description:

AWS’ Innovation Protection Programme arises from its core work of supporting innovation among Austrian enterprises and provides an example of enforcement work being well integrated into the support of the enterprises throughout the innovation cycle. AWS’ services in this area, and particularly those in third countries, are themselves innovative and are helping to define new types of enforcement support.

Full description

Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS) is a state-owned bank specifically geared to supporting

small and medium enterprises. The main aim of AWS is to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic client companies and to secure Austrian jobs on a long-term basis. AWS has a staff of about 230 and included in its provision is a series of technology and innovation services. In fact, AWS is the largest Austrian provider of services for evaluating and financing technological inventions.

The Innovation Protection Programme (IPP) was established in 2006 as a response to the needs of SMEs in relation to the international protection of their intellectual property.

Through the IPP, AWS provides its clients both with funding for IPR protection in emerging markets and with regional expertise. “Emerging markets” are defined as all non-OECD member countries, though the emphasis is on China, India, and Russia. Fluent speakers of Mandarin and Russian provide regional and legal knowledge, both through the Vienna headquarters and the Shanghai branch office.

IPP Services

AWS is of the view that it is important, through training, to raise IPR awareness among Austrian entrepreneurs and to help them to establish and manage their IPR portfolios. These actions are seen as essential prerequisites of effective enforcement and form part of the programme. From this basis, IPP then provides risk assessment, monitoring and investigation of infringements and support for legal and administrative action in complex environments such as China, India, and Russia. Lobbying governments in target countries is important “background activity”, behind the scenes.

AWS decides the degree of its involvement in a given case according to the prospects of success, the economic importance of the infringement to the company in question and to the national economy, and the degree to which the case can serve as an example.

Technology audits are one of the instruments used for risk assessment: experts conduct audits tailored to the specific needs of an enterprise, assess the situation of the product and recommend a comprehensive strategy for IPR protection and enforcement all along the value chain. Mediation has also been used effectively, especially in cases of copyright infringement.

AWS has built up a network of specialized lawyers in the IP field in China, India, and Russia. Because of the larger business volume expected, this has enabled AWS to offer economies of scale to clients in some cases, through discounted “flat rate” payments for patent filings etc.

In 2007, a typical enforcement case would include:

• Registration of patents, trademarks etc., partly funded via IPP;
• Infringement monitoring;
• Sending “cease and desist” letters to IPR infringers;
• Support for the client in obtaining enforcement measures from courts and administrative bodies;
• Actively organising the seizure of offending goods at trade fairs;
• Strengthening the legitimate rights’ holder’s legal position by filing additional rights and pleas for annulment of fraudulent IPR registrations.

About 25% of all Austrian companies who have registered their IPR in China in 2007 received some form of support from AWS.

In providing its services, AWS currently follows the EU’s SME or “de minimis” rules, but there are plans to enlarge its base in line with the “Community Framework for State Aid for Research and Development and Innovation”.

Other Activities

In addition to its training provision for enterprises, AWS provides regular training for Austrian enforcement agencies, helping to raise their awareness of SME issues in the IPR area.

Co-operating with other agencies is an important part of the way that AWS works. It has close links with overseas branches of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (Wirtschaftskammer Österreich) known as AWO (Außenwirtschaftsorganisationen), which are accredited as part of the local embassy or consulate. Co-operation includes exchanging business information, mutual referral of clients, organising joint training events, and co-ordinating support mechanisms so as to ensure maximum efficiency.

The Shanghai office maintains regular exchanges with the local AWO and various other business organisations there (EU Cham etc.), while the IPP programme staff in Vienna are also actively involved in several EU projects. These include a transatlantic IPR project for policy alignment, and a project to strengthen companies’ management competence. Finally, IPP is well integrated into the Austrian partners of the Enterprise Europe Network and acts as a subcontractor to them.

Transferability & Performance

The Austrian Ministry of Commerce evaluates the performance of AWS at several levels; with regard to the SME support system as a whole, institutes such as KMU-Forschung and Technopolis have carried out studies; the first external audit of the IPP itself which will be coordinated by Joanneum Research (Graz) is expected to be finalised during 2009. As an indication of take-up, AWS organised 26 seminars, workshops and similar events in 2007 and these were attended by 1,300 people.

Further information

Web site:

• http://www.awsg.at/ – in German
• http://www.awsg.at/portal/index.php?x=51&n=686 (IPP)

Contact details:

Dipl. -Ing. Dr. Georg Buchtela

Head of Intellectual Property Management

Austria Wirtschaftsservice | ERP-Fonds

Ungargasse 37, 1030 Wien

Tel.: +43 (1) 501 75 - 551

Mail: g.buchtela@awsg.at

IP Prediagnostic Service (FR)

Title of case

IP Pre-diagnostic Service of the French National Industrial Property Institute

Organisation

The National Industrial Property Institute, France

IPR Expert Group Recommendations

Effective enforcement by businesses has to begin with proper IP management;

Intellectual Asset Management has to be a core part of the promotion of innovation. Innovation agencies and innovation support programmes have to make effective provision for IPR enforcement.

Areas that the case illustrates

• SME competence building
• Intellectual asset management
• The provision of dedicated services
• Integration with innovation support
• Integration with general business support

The Pre-diagnostic service relates to:

• Patents
• Utility models
• Trademarks
• Designs
• Intellectual rights

Brief description

A widely available, easily understandable and direct ‘pre-diagnostic’ service in France, targeted at enterprises without any previous experience of IPR management, sets them off in the right direction, by conducting an audit that reviews their intellectual assets in relation to their general business situation, identifies areas of competitive advantage and helps the enterprise to put in place an appropriate IP management strategy.

Full description

INPI, the National Industrial Property Institute (Institut national de la propriété industrielle), the French Patent and Trademark Office, provides a wide range of services to enterprises, directly, through an extensive web-based information system and through regional offices, which in turn co-operate with other regional business support agencies. These services cover all forms of intellectual property, include information provision, training and counselling and put the institute at the heart of national innovation strategy.

Since 2004, as part of this portfolio of services, INPI has offered a ‘pre-diagnostic’ audit that consists of an evaluation of the potential of an enterprise in terms of its industrial property. The service is free to enterprises that are new to IP management and consists of an expert analysis, conducted over one or two days, of the existing and potential intellectual assets of an enterprise, given its current situation and its endowment of knowledge and skills. The analysis also considers ways that IP can be managed and especially, where appropriate, opportunities for registering industrial property. A report is provided for the enterprise that highlights areas of competitive advantage and possible strategies for managing and exploiting them, along with practical advice on implementation. Costs and financial implications are also covered.

The result of the audit is that enterprises are not only pointed in the right direction, in terms of registering industrial property, but the enterprise management is helped to develop a whole new perspective on the significance of IP management. In this way, there is an important contribution to building the management capacity of the enterprise.

The pre-diagnostic service is, however, essentially a first step on the part of relatively small and inexperienced enterprises. It is designed to be a quick intervention and thus to avoid disruption of normal business processes, but it can be the start of more substantial developments that can supported by other services from INRI and its partner agencies.

Transferability & Performance

2,500 IP pre-diagnostic analyses have been performed since 2004.

There is regular monitoring of the service, which includes direct interviews with enterprises and external evaluations that show the success of the scheme in targeting small enterprises and achieving a high satisfaction rate among clients. A high proportion of clients have taken formal steps, such as registering IP.

The Benchmarking study by the Austrian Institute for SME Research rated the services highly, reporting high levels of user satisfaction and additionality.

Further information

Web site:

• http://www.inpi.fr/(in French)
• http://www.inpi.fr/fr/services-et-prestations/aides-et-partenariats/pre-diagnostics-propriete-indust

Contact details :

Pascal DUYCK

Head of IP Awareness department

Hélène SALAVILLE

Manager Project IP pre diagnostic

Tel: +33 3 28 36 33 90

Mail : pduyck@inpi.fr