Technology cooperation Benefits, challenges and solutions EU – Latin America Dialogue on Industrial Policy Santiago de Chile, Chile, April 2015 Anne von Zukowski European Commission Mutual benefits of cooperation • Both EU and Latin America profit from international cooperation • Broader choice for consumers • New markets – economies of scale, new ideas • New business partners – efficiency gains, improvements to products • New technologies for firms and consumers • New business opportunities – subcontracting, complementary products Technology cooperation in the digital age • Digital age – more complex products and services, shorter lifecycle • Globalisation - longer supply chains, distant markets => need for reputation • Faster development of countries - build on existing solutions = trust needed; • Cooperation – understanding cultural and systemic differences + bridges Innovation, reputation and trust • Innovation and Reputation – high investment • Trust – respecting partner's contribution • Innovation – patents and trade secrets • Reputation – trademarks • Trust – respecting and protecting Intellectual Property Technology sharing - SMEs • Small and Medium Enterprises abroad: • • • • Technology and intellectual assets – main asset Ready to share technology, but… Signal reputation by patents and trademarks Need trust - Intellectual Property accepted by partners and effectively protected • If IP not understood by all economic actors or not effectively protected - obstacle Tools to build bridges • Latin American Intellectual Property SME Helpdesk • support EU and LATAM SMEs to get together • By providing advice, information and training on Intellectual Property in LATAM • Target – EU SMEs doing business with LATAM • other measure(s) – European and Latin American Business Services and Innovation Network, Enterprise Europe Network, clusters Latin America IPR SME Helpdesk • • • • www.mercosur-iprhelpdesk.eu Till June 2015 – MERCOSUR and Chile From Jul 2015 – Dec 2017 – Latin America Partners: 3 in EU (lead – University of Alicante), 4 in Latin America • Services: individual advice, guides and factsheets on business and IP, training on the spot and webinars Case study on potential obstacle • Case study of a potential obstacle for foreign SMEs to invest in Latin America • Potential barriers in trademarks • prepared by MERCOSUR IPR SME Helpdesk • one of LA countries has more than 500 000 trademark registrations pending How to accelerate registration? • Cooperate with EU (OHIM) and EU MS trademark offices to accelerate TM registration in LA (based on existing EU and national TMs) • Offices not to examine applications against existing trademarks Patent backlogs • Relative long times for patent registration – up to 7-8 years on average in some LA countries • patent backlogs in of different levels in LA countries ranging to more than 180 000 Faster patent registration • Patent Cooperation Treaty • Faster option – Patent Prosecution Highway • Fast and EU wide - cooperate with EPO, including Patent Prosecution Highway Technology sharing and obstacles • Technology sharing brings benefits • to EU and LA companies • and also to both societies • To achieve these benefits you need • better analysis of existing barriers • and addressing them Analysis of obstacles • to better assess barriers and help SMEs overcome them • EU will launch a survey contrasting expectations and perceptions by both partners • We invite you to participate and spread Next steps • invitation to • further work on cooperation of SME support and on understanding of Intellectual Property • further work on faster registration of patents and trademarks in support of smoother technological cooperation of EU and Latin American SMEs • Thank you for your attention! • • Anne von Zukowski Policy Officer European Commission DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Industrial Competitiveness for Growth +32 229 91 348 [email protected]