Experts focus on intellectual property challenges among Arab startups, SMEs

Experts focus on intellectual property challenges among Arab startups, SMEs

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship (CoE) have recently organised a workshop titled ‘Intellectual Property for Promoting Innovation and SMEs in the Arab Region’.

The workshop provided an overview of the status and challenges of intellectual property (IP) systems in the Arab region and the role of IP in promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Also, the online event discussed best practices and lessons learnt from select Arab countries on advancing IP systems in their ecosystems and presented the WIPO IP Diagnostics tool to improve the IP-readiness of innovators and SMEs.

Joelle Yazbeck, executive co-ordinator, ICC-ESCWA Centre of Entrepreneurship; Catherine Foster, lead, ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship; and Kareem Hassan, executive director, ESCWA Technology Centre for Development, delivered the opening and welcoming remarks.

The panel discussion titled ‘Overview of Intellectual Property in Arab Countries’ saw the participation of Dr Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, head of section, Economics and Statistics Division, and co-editor of The Global Innovation Index (GII), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO); and Dr Pierre el-Khoury, IP specialist lawyer, Law School Professor, and director of the Lawyers Institute at the Beirut Bar Association (Lebanon).

Joining the second panel discussion ‘Success Stories: IP for Promoting Innovations