Update: April, 27/2021 - 08:57 |
A consumer shops for ST25 rice at a store in HCM City. Commercialising intellectual property and using it for business growth was critical for SMEs in a post-pandemic world. VNA/VNS Photo
HÀ NỘI Support is to be provided to small and medium – sized enterprises (SMEs) enabling them to use intellectual property (IP) rights to build stronger, more competitive and resilient businesses, said Đinh Hữu Phí, Director of the Intellectual Property Office of Việt Nam.
SMEs took centre stage at this year’s celebration of World Intellectual Property Day (April 26) with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) Director General Daren Tang describing them as an engine for growth in a post-pandemic world.
THE STANDARD
OPINION
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) recognises April and May as Intellectual Property (IP) months with the aim of increasing the general understanding of IP.
More specifically, in 2000, Wipo member states designated April 26 as the World IP day in commemoration of the day the Wipo Convention entered into force in 1970. The convention was signed in 1967.
Every year, a theme is set for the day and there was no better theme for this year than ‘IP and SMEs: Taking your ideas to market’.
What a spot-on theme when Covid-19 is wreaking havoc in the lives and businesses of individuals on an unprecedented scale.
Scale up innovation spend this pandemic
Thursday December 10 2020
By EDWARD MUNGAI
Summary
Whereas enterprises should adapt to the new normal to ride out the immediate storm, they cannot afford to lose sight of potential future opportunities. And this means a continual process of innovating.
Kenya is ranked the third most innovative economy in sub-Saharan Africa, behind Mauritius and South Africa in the Global Innovation Index 2020.
The country is also considered an innovation outperformer relative to its level of development and when compared to its lower-middle income peers. This is according to the compilers of the annual index Insead (graduate business school in France), Cornell University (Ivy League research institution) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo).