Category: Business

Last week, the European Patent Office released preliminary figures concerning patent filings in 2014, and the numbers promise us a bright and interesting future! According to the report, EPO received more than 273.110 patent filings in 2014, an increase of around 3% over 2013, and a new all-time high.

Whether you have a big company with years of experience behind you, a fast-growing small business, or you are just starting on your path to success, innovation is what will drive your company forward. Companies often forget to take the time and take up trying to come up with some creative and innovative ideas. After all, innovation, whether in intellectual or technical sense of the word, is imperative to getting ahead in business and will distinguish you from other businesses.

After the United Kingdom and Ireland, France is also considering mandatory plain packaging for cigarettes as part of a global effort to reduce the number of smokers. According to World Health Organization, France has the third-highest rate of smoking in Western Europe behind Greece and Austria, with 31 percent of adults smoking daily. That compares with 14 percent in the U.K. and 24 percent in Germany, the WHO says.

Three prominent Croatian organizations have joined forces in the struggle to help renowned and upcoming authors create without the hindrances that vague copyright and related rights bring: Croatian Composers’ Society, Croatian Writers’ Association and Croatian Film Directors’ Guild, all under the patronage of State Intellectual Property Office. These organizations have initiated a campaign named “Authors make the world a better place”, aiming to resolve some of the issues in copyright and related rights law.

We have previously discussed this issue concerning Serbian Law on Copyright and Related Rights, but Serbia is not the only country of the Balkans region that needs some revising in this area. Croatian experts on the subject of intellectual property and copyright also find these laws lacking and are pushing for a clear and more strict law to protect the rights of authors, especially when it comes to the art and cinematography.

As of April 2014, Montenegro is a part of the Twinning Light project named “Enhancing the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Montenegro”, whose main beneficiary is The Intellectual Property Office of Montenegro.

Effective enforcement of IP rights at the border is critical in overall protection of intellectual property. It also is important for the country’s economy as well as health and safety.

Customs play a crucial role in identifying and detaining shipments of goods suspected of infringing IP rights.

Copyright infringement is an ever-present problem for novice entrepreneurs.  Nowadays, it is easy for scheming individuals to pass off your work as their own, making a few simple changes.  This is precisely the reason to learn more about protecting your ideas, your business or brand. You can follow these few basic rules as a start-up strategy for protecting your intellectual property.

There are numerous pitfalls and traps that await those who venture into business, but one of the first hiccups may be something seemingly as easy as coming up with a business name. Thinking of something creative, original and completely different from the competition might prove a difficult task. A name word, symbol or design is the trademark of your business. We recommend reading these advices, and considering them when coming up with a name for your business.