Saudi Arabia - Riyadh Workshop to train Advisers to Saudi SME on Effective Intellectual Asset Management

Between the 16 and 18 Sept 2014 a training workshop will take place in Riyadh on effective intellectual asset management for small and medium enterprises ("SME"). It will be organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (the UN specialist agency for intellectual property ("IP")) in conjunction with the Standing Committee on Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Saudi Arabia,

The importance of IP to SME is explained on the front page of the WIPO portal on SME:

"Regardless of what product your enterprise makes or what service it provides, it is likely that it is regularly using and creating a great deal of intellectual property. This being the case, you should systematically consider the steps required for protecting, managing and enforcing it, so as to get the best possible commercial results from its ownership. If you are using intellectual property that belongs to others, then you should consider buying it or acquiring the rights to use it by taking a license in order to avoid a dispute and consequent expensive litigation.

Almost every SME has a trade name or one or more trademarks and should consider protecting them. Most SMEs will have valuable confidential business information, from customers' lists to sales tactics that they may wish to protect. A large number would have developed creative original designs. Many would have produced, or assisted in the publication, dissemination or retailing of a copyrighted work. Some may have invented or improved a product or service.
In all such cases, your SME should consider how best to use the IP system to its own benefit. Remember that IP may assist your SME in almost every aspect of your business development and competitive strategy: from product development to product design, from service delivery to marketing, and from raising financial resources to exporting or expanding your business abroad through licensing or franchising."

The development of an understanding of IP by Saudi SME will be vital for the growth and diversification of the economy of that country. The object of the workshop is to train those who will train Saudi businesses in effective intellectual asset management.

The course will be delivered in English and a provisional programme has already been published which may be downloaded from the WIPO website.  After an introduction to WIPO by Siyoung Park of WIPO's SME section and an overview of IP and the role of effective intellectual asset management in enhancing SME competitiveness there will be talks on trade marks, designs, patents and utility models, copyright and confidentiality by Prof. Al-Khoury of La Sagesse University in Lebanon, Prof Damodaran of the Indian Institute of Management and Mr Park on the 16 Sept.  The next day there will be discussions and exercises on shaping IP strategy, IP in the digital economy and in international business, licensing and other matters. The speakers will be joined by the chair of the Standing Committee on IP who will outline IP Law and administration and IP support services for SMEs in Saudi Arabia.  On the last day there will be talks on accounting and valuation of intellectual assets, IP audits and due diligence and an overview of the role of SME in the Saudi economy by a speaker to be arranged.  After round table discussions which will include a view of IP support in Brunei there will be a short open book written test for the participants.

This seems a useful introduction to IP which could well be emulated even in advanced countries such as the UK where the difficulties of SME in obtaining relevant and comprehensive advice on IP were highlighted by Prof Hargreaves in his report in May 2011.