Building Respect for IP: Awareness Raising

The initial phase in developing a strategy is to assess the current IP environment in the country, studying in particular the level of consumer perception of IP and awareness of legal and social impact of IP infringing activities. This phase would include an evaluation of the various awareness activities already undertaken at the national level, analyzing the achievements and the related challenges. Consumer surveys, as provided for in the WIPO Consumer Survey Toolkit, focus group meetings, and questionnaires to key players may be used.

Once the environment in the context of respect for IP has been assessed and evaluated, the goals of the strategy should be defined. It is important to identify the specific behavior that the strategy would seek to modify (e.g., reduce purchases of counterfeit medicines).

The key target groups are those that are to adopt the relevant change of behavior, or are needed to bring that change about. Examples in the first category would include young people, adult consumers or the public in general. In the latter category, one might include law enforcement officials, the media or distributors of IP-protected goods.

There are a variety of awareness-raising activities on building respect for IP that may be developed and adapted in light of the targeted objectives. The message underlying each activity will probably vary and may include: the easy availability of legitimate products, the unfairness of counterfeiting and piracy to creators and innovators, or the damage caused to employment, culture or public health.

The duration of the strategy should be determined, broken down into phases by reference to defined goals, target groups and activities.

Each activity will need to be monitored and, upon completion, evaluated against the initial objectives. The WIPO Consumer Survey Toolkit provides a template questionnaire for use in evaluating the effectiveness of communications strategies after the event.