How you can turn your IP into profit
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IGE / IPIEidgenössisches Institut für Geistiges Eigentum / Institut Fédéral de la Propriété Intellectuelle / Istituto Federale della Proprietà Intellettuale / Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property
Whether it’s a logo, a design, software or an artistic piece of work, creative people bring something great into being with their minds and their talent. Which is why, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI), Creative Hub is providing support to prevent free riders from taking advantage of business ideas and creativity. The following tips will help them responsibly manage their valuable intellectual capital.
- Consider protecting your innovations and creations as intellectual property (IP). Industrial property rights, i.e. trade marks, patents and designs as well as copyright, provide the best protection against any possible misuse.
- Protect your IP at an early stage. This will prevent competitors, for example, from registering your ideas as their intellectual property and thereby limiting your scope for doing business.
- Ensure that your products or services do not infringe others’ IP rights. In this way, you can avoid receiving a formal warning or your product being taken off the market and having to pay damages.
- Use publicly accessible information to your advantage. Carrying our searches in trade mark and patent databases can inspire you or help you to determine the novelty of your invention or to monitor the competition.
- Turn your IP into cash. You can sell trade marks, patents, designs and copyright or give permission to others to use them in exchange for a licence fee.
IP rights are not mandatory – however, effective management of IP certainly is.
The knowledge you need to succeed
The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) is your point of contact for all matters relating to patent, design, and trade mark protection, geographical indications and copyright. Visit our SME portal at ige.ch/sme or contact us on 031 377 77 77.
Support for innovators and creatives
- The Assisted Patent Search – together with a patent expert, you can take a close look at your invention or obtain valuable information on your technology sector and competitors
- A Guide for Innovative and Creative Minds – practical tips on the innovation process
- Envisioned. Created. Protected. Pocket Guide – a quick introduction to all topics relating to intellectual property
- Training and courses – benefit from the practical knowledge of our IPI experts
- The IP Advisory Network – a 45 minute consultation with a patent attorney, free of charge, on issues concerning patent or software protection
