EIFL and IFLA (the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) are organizing an online event to mark World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April. The theme of this year’s World IP Day, organized each year by the World Intellectual Property Organization, is ‘IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market’.

‘Libraries mean Business’ will feature three different types of libraries, a national library, an academic library and a public library, that each provide services to support local entrepreneurs and innovators, from patent searches to the provision of maker-spaces.

Our expert speakers are Jeremy O’Hare, Intellectual Property, Business and IP Centre at the British Library in the UK; Tara Radniecki, Head of DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library, Patent and Trademark Resource Center Librarian at the University of Nevada in the U.S.; and Bernadette Cogan, Divisional Librarian, Central Library Services, Dublin City Council in Ireland. 

• Date and time: Monday, 26 April 2021 at 3pm GMT+1 / 4pm CEST. Check your local time with the World Clock.
• To join the webinar: Please register here

Background

Every business starts with an idea from the arts to artificial intelligence, fashion to farming, renewable energy to retail. Many of these businesses can use IP rights to protect their new products and services, and to create value in order to attract investment.

But if an SME is unaware that they hold IP assets or that they have value, many are missing out on growth opportunities. According to WIPO, studies show that when businesses are IP savvy, and when they acquire and manage IP rights, they do better. Libraries around the world help small businesses to become IP savvy. For example, they train start-ups in acquiring trademark, patent and design rights to protect their new business name or fabulous invention. They help businesses to avoid inadvertently infringing copyright or other third party IP that could end in costly litigation. And libraries provide access to business databases and other resources for entrepreneurs to research both the new product and the marketplace. In the course of receiving these services, small businesses also benefit from a range of copyright exceptions, from making a research copy of an article to text and data mining.

Twitter hashtag #WorldIPDay