INTA News

Exploring the Value of Intellectual Property in Emerging Markets

Published: October 17, 2018

Bassel El Turk Rouse Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Vanessa Ferguson KISCH IP Sandton, South Africa

* The following blog post is by Bassel El Turk, Rouse (United Arab Emirates) and Vanessa Ferguson, KISCH IP (South Africa) who are the co-chairs of the 2018 Middle East and Africa Conference. – GM

Intellectual property (IP) is no longer a standalone topic. Business owners, trademark professionals, and practitioners cannot look solely at traditional perspectives surrounding IP and expect to achieve success locally or globally.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in emerging markets, such as those in the Middle East and Africa.   As foreign investors increasingly eye these regions and as the Middle East transforms into an innovation- and knowledge-based economy, IP is taking on an increasingly significant role. IP has become a major component of business and economic objectives.

Steady commercial activity and innovation call for greater harmonization of trademark protection as well as robust IP strategies for effective protection and enforcement.  

No longer does IP sit alone in a box. We all need to look at IP’s business value, including the marketing value that can be derived from it.  

Along these lines, today, IP practitioners must understand that their roles go beyond IP, to that of business consultants at their organizations. And brand owners must view IP teams through a new lens: they are not cost centers but, rather, add value to a company’s business.  

Conference Takes Holistic View

INTA’s 2018 Middle East and Africa Conference: Innovation, Investment, and IP, December 10-11, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will explore these new perspectives. The conference will take a holistic view, examining IP from different angles and showcasing how IP has become important on both macro and micro levels.  

At its core, the conference is about examining the impact IP has on investment and innovation-and vice versa, the impact that investment and innovation have on IP.  

It will offer robust discussion about the opportunities and challenges of attracting investment into the region, as well as effective strategies to prioritize IP to support an innovation-based economy.

Hosting this conference in Dubai, an up-and-coming hub of innovation and IP, allows professionals to converge in a market that is relevant to the topics being addressed.  

Click here to learn more about the Middle East and Africa Conference, including timely sessions on fighting counterfeiting offline and online, data privacy, the growing need for harmonization, and leveraging innovation in cross-border enforcement.