Information on the protection of intellectual property rights in developing markets

On 21 November, Finnpartnership and the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) organised a webinar to provide Finnish operators with advice on how to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in African markets. Presentations at the event highlighted the importance of IPR protection also for SMEs.

Ossi Huhtanen, Partner at Kolster Oy Ab, and Jani Kaulo, Managing Partner at Kaulo & Partners, shared concrete tips on how to apply for patents in African countries. The audience also received advice on registering trademarks, domain names and design rights.

Alicia Blaya Algarra from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) presented the wide range of IPR services offered by the EU. The EU has IP Helpdesks, focusing on different continents and India as well as China, from which companies and organisations can receive country-specific information about IP protection.

The event provided Finnpartnership and PRH with a new way of collaborating and sharing information on both services in a centralised way. Finnpartnership is actively cooperating with the Team Finland network, and can provide a useful link to developing market operators for other Team Finland organisations.