Intellectual property helping small businesses

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 90 per cent of all businesses and employ almost 70 per cent of the workforce globally. They are therefore an essential pillar of the economy throughout the world. Algeria boasts more than a million SMEs. They make a major contribution to wealth generation and socioeconomic progress. Although they often hold intellectual property (IP) assets, they are not always aware of their existence or of the importance of protecting them. For that reason, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the National Industrial Property Institute of Algeria (INAPI) organized an information day on February 15, 2024, for some 50 SMEs to better acquaint them with how to protect and manage their IP assets.

The Agency for SME Development and the Promotion of Innovation (ADPMEPI) also participated in the event.

To harness the potential value of their IP assets, SMEs can benefit from a wide range of IP rights, including through patents, trade secrets, copyright, industrial designs and trademarks.

One of the first challenges facing SMEs is to correctly assess the IP component of their intangible assets. To that end, WIPO has designed an IP Diagnostic Tool, which enables such assets to be self-assessed simply, confidentially and free of charge.

The first goal of the event was to familiarize participants with the tool. They were shown a detailed presentation on it, how self-assessment works and how a diagnostic report is generated by the system. That report highlights IP issues likely to be of interest to the business and contains useful information for managing related rights.

Participants were then shown a presentation on the upcoming IP Management Clinics Program (IPMC) for SMEs. The program is designed to help SMEs and startups to use the IP system to improve their businesses and further develop their activities. It will essentially comprise four components: mentoring, training, networking and development of an IP strategy tailored to each beneficiary SME or startup.

The program will benefit around 15 SMEs or startups chosen in partnership with INAPI. It follows the successful conclusion of the project to create a business assistance unit in INAPI, the role of which is to encourage innovative SMEs and startups to make better use of the IP system in support of their business strategies. As part of the project, the WIPO Guides on Intellectual Property for Business were revised and adapted to fit the Algerian legal framework. This will enable their use by Algerian businesses.

The aim of all these efforts is to raise awareness among SMEs of the importance of IP and the need to integrate it into their marketing strategies. In that way, they will have exclusive access to the fruits of their ingenuity, inventiveness and creativity, and be able to develop further and acquire a greater market share.

The event was inaugurated and hosted by Mohamed Saleck Ahmed Ethmane, Director of the WIPO Algeria Office, Abdelhafid Belmehdi, Director General of INAPI, and Abdelaziz Rebai, Director General of ADPMEPI.

Sarah Nassar, Associate Program Officer of the IP for Business Division at WIPO participated via videoconference.