Case Studies

Design protection is sometimes undervalued, being considered after patent and trade mark rights for businesses when it comes to IP protection. However, design is a crucial element in identifying a company’s innovative brilliance to its clients, and protection of design rights is generally a very straightforward process.

In this Case Study, a Finnish SME shows us the importance of taking concrete steps for design protection to increase the company’s value, and how it deters potential free riders from infringing on their products.

Innovative products provide competitive advantage for their owners as long as proper intellectual property (IP) protection measures are taken. In order to ensure a product’s market success, and combat potential infringers successfully, it is necessary to take all characteristics of the product into account, and consider IP in a broader aspect.

This Case Study from Romania presents a real-life example of the significance of IP, when a company’s business strategy is based on new and innovative products or services.

Competing in global markets is always challenging, especially for SMEs. It is even tougher in some particular sectors such as agrofood, where big players dominate the whole market.

In this Case Study, we meet a Latvian company and witness how they gained a strong presence in the international arena by following a rational trade mark strategy and how they make use of IP rights as a tool to achieve success when doing business abroad.

Whether you are a coffee or a tea lover this new Case Study will surely interest you. It tells the story of how two Spanish entrepreneurs effectively protected and managed their IP rights and IP strategy thanks to the services provided free of charge by IVACE (a Spanish institute of business competitiveness, member of the Enterprise Europe Network).

This new case study tells the story of a cooperation between the Department of General Biophysics at the University of Łódź, Poland and the GRAVITA Fertility Clinic. The case study explains how the two partners developed a collaborative research project with the help of the Enterprise Europe Network and how they managed both their IPRs and IP strategy.

Getting the right information at the right time is of the utmost importance to all SMEs working in the open market. Understanding the significance of IP, considering all alternatives and taking all measures in a timely manner help companies to identify potential threats and opportunities, especially when going international.

In this case study, we will see how a Croatian SME tackled trade mark protection issues, when expanding its business to Europe during Croatia’s EU membership process.

Transforming the results of R&D into commercially viable products is a business challenge that must be carried out in conformity with a coherent IP strategy. Such a strategy helps save time and resources. Additionally, a sound IP strategy is a key element in avoiding and fighting against infringement and unfair competition practices carried out by competitors. 

In this new case study, TNtech, a Slovakian SME, tells us about the main measures adopted within the framework of its IP strategy and shares some useful advice with us. 

In this new case study, Dion Toumazis & Associates, a consultancy firm of architects and engineers from Cyprus, tells us about its project: Aquafragma. The case study explains how the company got inspired for developing the project and how its IP strategy was shaped with the help of the Enterprise Europe Network and the European IPR Helpdesk. 

You have a patentable technology and a business ready for international expansion? Get inspired by Atarés Mosaics' internationalisation strategy and learn about the steps to be followed to ensure that your technology is protected in a commercially efficient manner. 

Finding the right name for your company and the products you sell is not an easy task. Not only do you need to be creative but also you must avoid infringing your competitors' rights over their trade marks. Avoiding infringement is even more important when you are at an early stage in the development of your new business. Time and economic resources are usually scarce when a company is being launched and you will want to invest them in something other than litigation. This is why performing a prior trade mark search before starting to operate a business under a certain name or brand is an essential task we must not overlook.

To illustrate the issues that can arise in this situation, Koalect, a successful Belgian start-up, tells us their story in this new case study.