Profiling IP - Wipo launches new IP advantage database

• Pages: 28-28

OCTOBER 2010

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PROFILING IP

WIPO launches new

IP Advantage

database

“Innovate or die” – such is the commercial wis-

dom of today’s knowledge-based economy.

Today, business success hinges on the delivery of

innovative, attractive, high-value products and

services that respond to a rapidly evolving con-

sumer market. We hear a lot about how intellec-

tual property (IP) in the form of patents, designs,

marks and copyright and related rights can sup-

port business development, but for many, the

question of how this works in practice remains a

mystery. In an endeavor to shed light on this

process, WIPO has recently launched a new data-

base called

IP Advantage

which regroups the IP

experiences of inventors, creators, entrepreneurs,

and researchers.

This new database offers a kaleidoscopic view of

the many different ways in which IP rights can be

used to promote innovation in both developed

and developing countries. The case studies fea-

tured in the database demonstrate IP in practice

and offer many useful insights about how IP works

in the real world.

The

IP Advantage

database is a gateway to a fully

searchable and expanding range of case study ma-

terials. Based on a proposal from the Japanese gov-

ernment, the database showcases and streamlines

the wealth of online case study material available

on WIPO’s website.

The case studies are presented in a standard for-

mat reflecting the various steps of the innovation

cycle: innovation – IP protection – exploitation –

further innovation. They feature a variety of actors

from across the globe and cover a range of topics,

including branding, financing, partnerships and

research and development (R&D). Various case

studies also highlight the different ways in which

the IP system can support the development of so-

lutions to the challenges of climate change, food

security and public health.

The free-of-charge

IP Advantage

database makes

searching easy. It offers an intuitive interface that

allows for searches to be made according to type

of IP (patents, trademarks, copyright, etc.) and/or

the focus of the case study (branding, IP manage-

ment, R&D, etc.). An advanced search interface al-

lows users to fine-tune results using more specific

search terms relating to, for example, the object of

protection (inventions, commercial names, artistic

works), global challenges, organization type, in-

dustry and/or country.

IP Advantage

opens the door on a world of inno-

vation and creativity. Users can discover:

how Uruguayan college student Roni Lieberman

successfully commercialized his software and

came to dominate the market for management

and accountancy applications;

why Ethiopian coffee growers fought to register

the Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe names as

trademarks;

how design protection helped Philippine

Nature’s Legacy, Inc. combat infringement and

become a market leader in high-end environ-

mentally-friendly home furnishings;

how focused R&D and patent protection are

contributing to expanding international use of

an attractive and innovative building material

developed by Hungary’s Litracon.

The database is a work in progress. While the

search interface and case studies are currently

available in English only, French and Spanish ver-

sions are in the planning. WIPO’s Communications

Division and the WIPO Japan Office, with the fi-

nancial support of the Japan Funds-in-Trust for

Industrial Property, will continue to regularly up-

date the database with new case studies.

The database currently features over 100 case stud-

ies from across the globe. By continuing to update

and expand the collection, the database will evolve

into a fully comprehensive reference for IP in action.

IP Advantage

is available at:

www.wipo.int/ipadvantage

Feedback and suggestions for new case studies

may be sent to:

outreach@wipo.int.

Photo: Litracon Kft.