Before venturing into foreign markets, it is vital that you protect the Intellectual Property (IP) assets such as patents, know-how, trademarks or designs that are at the core of your company. IP incentivises innovation and will become particularly relevant to you as you internationalise your business. The loss of business, revenue, reputation and competitive advantage caused by IP infringement would affect you both in your original and in your export markets, while an inadequate protection of your creations would definitely jeopardise your business. However, proper market analysis and adopting a suitable IP strategy will ease your access to finance helping you increase your revenues and overall visibility.
IPR Guide
This guide by the European IPR Helpdesk intends to outline the basic steps you should take in terms of IP management, before expanding your business abroad.
For a quick overview, we recommend to watch this short animated clip and take a look at the infographic.