Intellectual Property on the SME radar

Although Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) represent 99% of all Brazilian companies, accounting for 30% of GDP and employing 50% of the country’s labor force, they are responsible for only 48% of trademarks and 11% of patents filed with the BPTO (Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office). The theme was addressed on April 26th in celebration of World Intellectual Property Day, in an event promoted by ABPI, the BPTO, WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), and the ministries of Economy and Tourism. “Due to the important role they play in the economy, it is essential that small and medium-sized companies and startups understand that intellectual property assets are essential assets for their business and a strong attraction for investments”, stated the president of ABPI, Luiz Edgard Montaury Pimenta, at the opening of the event.

Under the theme “IP and SME: Bring your ideas to the market”, the IP event in honor of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) presented two cases of entrepreneurship, led by entrepreneurs Xisto Alves de Souza Júnior, from Jetbov, and Beatriz Dockhorn, from Bia Brazil, moderated by ABPI director and council member Antonella Carminatti. Besides Montaury Pimenta, the opening table was also attended by Cláudio Furtado, from the BPTO; Daren Tang, from WIPO; Felipe Carmona Cantera, from Sindapi; Luiz Henrique do Amaral, from AIPPI; Elizabeth Siemsen do Amaral, from ASIPI; Renaud Gaillard, from the National Institute of Industrial Property of France; José Graça Aranha, from WIPO Brazil; Álvaro Loureiro, from ABAPI; Marcello Nascimento, from ASPI; Fabiano Barreto, from CNI; Bruno Quick, from Sebrae; Terkel Borg, from the Danish Embassy; Kenji Naemura, from JPO; Maria Angelica Garcia, from UKIPO; and David Kenis, from the USPTO.

Success stories

Jetbov, listed by Exame Magazine as the top of mind of Brazilian livestock, uses information technology and data storage as management tools for beef cattle farming. Vaccines, livestock management, weighing, besides financial control of the system are some of the tasks performed by the trademark, which was even notified by Red Bull because the Jetbov logo suggested a similarity with that of the multinational company. Jetbov changed its logo, registered the new trademark, and opted for protection as an industrial secret. “Now, we are already thinking about registering the trademark in the countries to which we export, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Bolivia, and Paraguay”, said Xisto Souza Júnior.

Concerns about the trademark have always been on the radar of the Rio Grande do Sul native Beatriz Dockhorn. Founded in 1994, in the city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, manufacturing and selling women’s sportswear, Bia Brazil was the first Brazilian clothing micro-company to export. The international experience started early and so did the intellectual property problems of the business. “Some representatives abroad, such as in Mexico, ended up appropriating the company’s trademark, and we had to pay to redeem it. Today Bia Brazil exports to 94 countries and has its trademark registered in the European common market countries, Mexico, Chile, Lebanon, and Finland. Wherever we enter with a higher sales volume, we register the trademark”, said Beatriz Hockhorn. “Trademark protection is oxygen”.