As proof of the role that intellectual property can play in providing an international competitive advantage, many companies, including Italian ones, have been able to make intangible assets the beating heart of their business, achieving excellent results abroad and, in particularly, in emerging markets Accord Conveyancing.

Knowledge of one’s intangible heritage and the adoption of adequate protection and enhancement strategies on each market are essential factors for the success of companies in a country with a strong export vocation especially in some sectors.

The offer of innovative products and services is therefore a strong point to face the competition of companies that can operate at substantially lower costs. Quality and differentiation , obtained through innovation processes, can be maintained and represent a competitive advantage only if accompanied by adequately protected rights at an international level.

Protecting and exploiting an innovative idea at the international level, transforming it – also through a continuous process of research and development – creates a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate. In projecting onto foreign markets, it is therefore essential to consider various aspects: first of all, knowing how to carry out an initial assessment of the company’s intangible assets; then have a good knowledge of the possibilities offered by individual markets and their specific criticalities and, above all, know what tools are available to protect intellectual property.

How to protect intellectual property?

Based on the object of protection, the ownership of intellectual creations can be differentiated into:

Industrial property: specifically intended to protect  Brevett marks i and  brands

Copyright (copyright) : protection of artistic or literary works,  including advertising or television programs , as well   as IT products such as  software .

Geographical indications: DOC, DOCG, IGP.

To better protect intellectual property, whatever the object, the advice is to register or patent it (in the case of a patent) at the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM).

Registration of a national trademark or patent

Experience teaches us that before proceeding to  register a trademark , patent or any other intellectual creation, it is good to observe some fundamental preliminary steps: verify that the trademark, patent, design and etc. you comply with all legal requirements check for the absence of a similar or identical registered trademark be sure that the brand does not have negative characteristics in own country and abroad.

At this point, once these steps have been carried out, the quickest method of submitting the request is undoubtedly the telematic one  , aimed at registering the trademark online, or relying on competent professionals.

The latter hypothesis, in our opinion, seems to be the best choice. Relying on fast and cheap solutions, in fact, is often not the best solution.

In terms of intellectual creations, it has been shown that the wrong choice of a  form of protection  could even be counterproductive, allowing third parties to copy and counterfeit their own invention / innovation.