The Patent Office announced on December 18 that 28% of Latvian companies feel their knowledge about industrial property protection is adequate or good, but more than 70% rate it as incomplete, according to a study by the Patent Office and the SKDS research center, which included 3,622 Latvian companies.
Perhaps as a result of this lack of knowledge, 10% of respondents admitted that they have encountered malicious product copying. The study also showed that even though 65% understand the benefits of industrial property protections, not all take advantage of them. 71% agreed that malicious copying cripples fair competition and creates a negative impact.
Ministry of Justice Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Raivis Kronbergs said the study will help understand attitudes towards patents, trademarks and industrial designs, informing further development.
“Every original and good idea with properly secured property rights has a huge business potential. We just have to understand how to use them at the national and international levels,” said Latvian Patent Office Director Sandris Laganovskis.
SKDS Director Mr. Arnis Kaktiņš said that companies are well enough informed about such a specific sector as industrial property protection. “The majority of companies agree that registering for industrial property protections increase the value of a company (63 %), and decreases the opportunity for competitors to steal their idea and make similar products (52%),” he said.
“The majority of Latvian entrepreneurs can identify the main benefits of industrial property protections, and the risks of not taking advantage of them,” said Mr. Kaktiņš.
Mr. Laganovskis said that each year company interest increases. “We haven't yet compiled this year's data, but comparing the amount of national applications last year to the previous year, applications have increased by 15%, industrial designs by 6% and patent applications by 13%. Industrial property protection is increasingly used by companies operating in the local market, as well as those with export development plans,” said the Patent Office director.
As previously reported, two of Latvia's most successful startups of recent years - with similar names, too - are at loggerheads in the U.S. courts.
Printed products manufacturer Printful Latvia’s parent company Printful Inc. filed charges in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco on December 3, accusing print on-demand platform Printify’s parent company Printify Inc. of infringement of intellectual property rights and unfair commercial practices, according to Printful Latvia representatives.
Printful Latvia representatives announced that Printful has accused Printify of illegally copying and modifying the Woocommerce integration software code created by Printful. The code allows for easy postage calculations, which give users specific postage costs for their products.
