Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
OUTREACH PROGRAM BOIP
Christel Heremans
Head Information & Promotion
cheremans@boip.int
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Table of contents
> Benelux issues
> Reputation survey 2007
> Activities
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Typical Benelux Issues
> 3 countries
> Different official languages
> Different cultures and attitudes
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Reputation survey 2007
Objectives of the survey:
> Changes regarding the survey in 2001
> Image of target group:
•
Attitude of sme’s towards registration
•
Ideas and needs about protection
•
Expectations towards our activities
> Change of name in 2006  BOIP
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
> 33 % know BOIP and/or BTO
> 16 % know BOIP
> All in all not a bad score
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Other offices are less known
> 67 % know no office to register a
trademark or a design
> OHIM scored 1 %
> Highest score for a trademark agent
was Bureau Gevers in Belgium with
5%
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Few interests and little knowledge of
the subject
> Different reasons for not registering:
•
Not necessary  32 %
•
Not important
•
Never heard of
•
Too expensive  11 %
•
Complicated procedures
•
…
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
What is important for Sme’s?
important aspects per country
accessible
100
90
My language
80
quickness
70
60
50
40
Via internet
Advise
30
International
personal
Netherlands
Legal reliable
Belgium
Luxembourg
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Effects of the survey on our strategy
> Focus on creating awareness:
•
Takes a long time, but it is effective.
•
We don’t sell registrations!
> Behaviour change by applying examples relevant for
sme’s:
•
More logo’s in our promotion material  66% of
the sme’s have a logo, 20 % have a word mark
•
Relatively low costs of trademark registration
•
Online filing is simple
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Effects of the survey on our strategy
> Main target groups were confirmed by survey
•
•
Starters:
•
19 % know BOIP
•
29% recognise importance of registration
•
Little knowledge and no means
•
All have a new name and logo
Sme’s with R&D departments:
•
40 % know BOIP
•
52% recognise importance of registration
•
Have more creations, ideas, logo’s …
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Effects of the survey on our strategy
> Adapt means of communication
•
Look into online advertising possibilities
(bannering, google adwords…)
•
Reconstruct our website
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Activities: account management
> To extend our network towards partners in
knowledge
> Their core business is to inform sme’s on innovation
and IP
> Their attitude towards BOIP must be positive
> Their interest in cooperation with BOIP is important
•
Chambers of commerce
•
Governmental projects for starters and sme’s
•
Associations of different professional groups
•
Trademark agents
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Activities: account management
> Network is extensively growing
> Several IP road shows in the 3 countries
> (free) Publicity through their communication
channels
> Presentations for front offices and workshops for
trademark agents
> Corporate magazine
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Activities: direct mailing starters
> As a follow-up of ‘starters days’ fair
> Selected 15.000 starters in Belgium
> Created homepage with tips for starting enterprises
> Possibility to subscribe to a newsletter
> Not an unqualified success!
•
Directory wasn’t up-to-date
•
Starters have other priorities
•
Registration is not a fast moving consumer good
Is there a cultural difference?
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Activities: direct response marketing
action
> Online advertising campaign for sme’s
> Google adwords
> Action pages with information for innovative
entrepreneur and sme’s in business
services
> End of September
Benelux Office for Intellectual Property
Thank you for your attention.
www.boip.int