Title of initiative

LIIP (Linking Innovation and Industrial Property) National IP Assistance Platforms

1. General presentation

1.1 Overview

Linking Innovation and Industrial Property (LIIP) was a project financed by the European Commission in the 5 ^th Framework programme, which pursued the development of a European network of contact points (Luxembourg, Ireland, Greece, Spain and Italy) for the promotion of innovation around industrial property. One of the major objectives of this project was to increase awareness and knowledge on Industrial Property issues and the patent-system by the creation of dedicated material targeted to SMEs, research centres, universities, independent inventors, professional associations and organisations active in innovation support. For this purpose, two specific tools have been developed in the framework of the LIIP project: a Good Practice Guide on IPR issues (Counterfeiting is one of the chapters) and an IP-Multimedia Toolbox on a CD-Rom, which is an interactive tool allowing an enterprise to make a diagnosis of its IPR knowledge.

LIIP material can be downloaded from www.liip.org .

1.2 Sector focus

Sector:

No specific sector

1.3 Institution (managing initiative)

Managed by : Public Research Centre Henri Tudor (Luxemburg)

Partners :

Luxemburg : Ministère de l'Economie et Commerce extérieur- Direction de la Propriété Intellectuelle (DPI); Centre de Veille Technologique (CVT); Luxinnovation GIE

Spain : Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEPM); Fundación Observatorio de Prospectiva Tecnológica Industrial (OPTI)

Italy : Ministero delle Attività Produttive - Ufficio Italiano Brevetti e Marchi (UIBM); ABCnet Servizi per l'Impresa s.r.l.

Greece : Industrial Property Organisation (OBI); Management Company of the Science and Technology Park of Crete S.A.(EDAP STEP-C S.A); Thessaloniki Technology Park - Management & Development Corporation S.A. (TTP/MDC S.A.)

2. Detailed Information

2.1 Start date

2002

2.2 End date

2003

2.3 Budget

€ 500,000 (p.a.), total budget: € 1 million

2.4 Type of initiative

Initial Information & Signposting:

Pan-European ‘one-stop shop’ for answering IPR-related questions

Dedicated Information Provision:

IPR Good Practice Guide; IP-Multimedia Toolbox;

Dedicated Services

Professional Advice

Training

International Liaison & Actions by Business Organisations:

Alliance and network building

Funding & Evaluation

Public Access & Co-ordination Measures

Other (specify):

2.5 Type of IPR

All IPR

Industrial Property

Inventions :

Patents

Utility Models

Plant Varieties

Topographies of Semiconductor Products

Distinctive Signs :

Trade Marks

Trade Names

Geographical Indications, Designations of Origin

Aesthetic Creations:

Designs (industrial design)

Intellectual Property

Literary, Scientific, Artistic Creations :

Copyright

Neighbouring Rights

Rights in Common Law, Tort, Competition Law etc.

Trade Secrets, Licensing & Confidentiality Agreements

2.6 Stage in Enforcement Process

All Stages

Registration

Business Planning / Strategy

Investigations

Administrative Procedures

Litigation

Other (specify):

3. Evaluation of Initiative

3.1 Overall appraisal

Technopolis appraisal: 5 (1 = very unsatisfactory , 5 = very successful)

The recommendations are concrete and pragmatic and the guide is efficient. Even now, 3 years after the end of the contract, the guide is still asked by national bodies who want to distribute it in their countries, The collaboration is now over but the established network has been integrated in the NPO-network and the developed tools are still used in this framework.

4. Further Information

4.1 Document References

http://www.liip.org/pdfs/GPG_EN.pdf

4.2 Web Site

www.liip.org

4.3 Contacts

Serge Quazzotti

Chargé de Direction du Centre de Veille Technologique, Luxemburg

Tel: +352 425991 410

serge.quazzotti@tudor.lu

4.4 Information Source

Technopolis report: “Effects of counterfeiting on EU SMEs and a review of various public and private IPR enforcement initiatives and resources”

Title of initiative

Technology Watch Centre (Centre de Veille Technologique (CVT)

1. General presentation

1.1 Overview

CVT has a number of so-called “projects” which address the issue of IPR usage by SMEs, including the creation of a dedicated publication (LIIP – Linking Innovation and Industrial Property), the establishment of an e-learning course or the provision of counselling services on IPR matters.

The objectives of the Technology Watch Centre (CVT) are to increase the awareness of companies to the growing importance of intellectual property information and to assist them in setting up their information management processes. The CVT assists companies in searching, gathering, treating, analysing and managing scientific, technical and technically oriented business information.

The following services are offered by the CVT:

· Patent documentation and information services including database searches on patents and trademarks;

· Customized in-depth consulting on strategic IPR issues;

· IP assistance for business start-ups (consulting in IP-strategies, general business planning support);

· Technology Watch services including data derived from ex-ante analyses of future trends in technological fields or in the domain of technical regulations and standards;

· Creation of publications: LIIP guide (Linking Innovation and Industrial Property), a number of real-life case studies on how IPR and IP management is used by SMEs, an IP awareness checklist, a interactive CD to accompany the LIIP guide;

· IPR-related training courses (workshops on searching and analysing patent-information on the internet and IT-patent searching strategies, awareness workshops/events for secondary schools and general public, an e-learning course in IP management for SME managers (DIPS - D istance learning applied to enhance the introduction of IP into management Strategies of SMEs ).

The initial goal of the CVT was to support the activities of the intellectual property department of the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade by assuring the diffusion of patent information. Subsequently, its mission has grown to also cover the areas of technology watch and competitive intelligence services.

The phases of IPR usage targeted are research on innovative projects with a relation to IPR issues and the process of development/registration; the utilisation phase or the subject of IPR acquisition are not targeted. In terms of the degree of legal formality, ample of space is given to various forms of IP protection - patents and formal IPR are treated only as a part of a spectrum on how to appropriate the IP of a company.

1.2 Sector focus

Sector:

No specific sector

1.3 Institution (managing initiative)

Common structure between the Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade and the Public Research Centre Henri Tudor

2. Detailed Information

2.1 Start date

1994 (feasibility study) – official start: 1996

2.2 End date

Ongoing

2.3 Budget

-

2.4 Type of initiative

Initial Information & Signposting

Dedicated Information Provision

Dedicated Services

Professional Advice

Training

International Liaison & Actions by Business Organisations

Funding & Evaluation

Public Access & Co-ordination Measures

Other (specify):

2.5 Type of IPR

All IPR

Industrial Property

Inventions :

Patents

Utility Models

Plant Varieties

Topographies of Semiconductor Products

Distinctive Signs :

Trade Marks

Trade Names

Geographical Indications, Designations of Origin

Aesthetic Creations:

Designs (industrial design)

Intellectual Property

Literary, Scientific, Artistic Creations :

Copyright

Neighbouring Rights

Rights in Common Law, Tort, Competition Law etc.

Trade Secrets, Licensing & Confidentiality Agreements

2.6 Stage in Enforcement Process

All Stages

Registration

Business Planning / Strategy

Investigations

Administrative Procedures

Litigation

Other (specify):

3. Evaluation of Initiative

3.1 Overall appraisal

Austrian Institute for SME Research appraisal: N/A

4. Further Information

4.1 Document References

-

4.2 Web Site

http://www.tudor.lu/cms/tudor/publishingfr.nsf/id/FXFE-6R8JD8

4.3 Contacts

Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor

29, Avenue John F.Kennedy L-1855 Luxembourg-Kirchberg Tél.: +352 42 59 91 - 1 Fax: +352 42 59 91 - 777

In charge of the direction of CVT :

Dr Serge Quazzotti,

serge.quazzotti@tudor.lu ,

tél.: +352 54 55 80 – 600

4.4 Information Source

Austrian Institute for SME Research - PRO INNO Europe Paper: “Benchmarking National and Regional Support Services for SMEs in the field of Intellectual and Industrial Property”