Benchmarking National - PRO INNO Europe

14. Danish Patent and
Trademark Office (DKPTO)
Country: Denmark
Original title: Patent- og Varemærkestyrelsen
Target group: All companies
Coverage: National
(Pro-active) awareness raising measures/Public Relations
Information Provision Services
Category*: Training
Customized in-depth consulting and advisory services/
X
points
Finance & Legal Framework
*classification system defined by the Austrian Institute for SME Research
14.1 The Danish Patent Office SME services
(DKPTO) in a nutshell
The on-line services of the Danish patent office and their trainings courses have
been chosen for illustrating elements of good practice regarding the creation and
maintenance of an IPR-related website and the operation of IPR educational
measures, both from which SMEs can benefit to a larger proportion. The service
package analysed enjoys a high reputation internationally. 34 It should be mentioned,
in addition, that the DKPTO offers also other services from which SMERS could
benefit – it has, for example, also developed an IP tool (“IP Score”) which is used
for valuing the IP of an enterprise; furthermore, the DKPTO is also actively
cooperating with other patent offices and international institutions with respect to
further enhancing and expanding its services. These activities should be also
mentioned in more detail, too, as they illustrate the benefits of an integrated
approach with high networking activities. Eventually, the DKPTO is also an example
of how national patent offices are thriving to become full-scale service providers.
The Danish Patent Office (DKPTO) is the national IPR competence centre for
information regarding IPR and the protection of technology and know-how. As a
government agency, the DKPTO grants patents and registers trade marks, utility
models and designs and offers a wide range of services that assist businesses to
expand their innovation capacity. The DKPTO sees itself as a market- and customerorientated
institution aiming to support businesses by offering know-how, guidance
and counselling when it comes to IPR.
The main entry point for all parties interested in IPR related issues is DKPTO’s website
(www. dkpto.dk) which provides an overview of all the services, schemes and
activities offered in a very detailed manner (i.e. content of the service, anticipated
benefits, costs and delivery time). The most important goal of the DKPTO is to
increase awareness and understanding of IPR issues among Danish businesses and
others interested in IPR-related issues. Furthermore, the DKPTO aims:
� to foster the development, usage and protection of knowledge and
technology,
� to assist businesses in using IPR with a range of different support services to
strengthen their innovation capabilities and competitiveness on the national
and international market and
� to expand its role as the national IPR competence centre in the future with the
aim to encourage the development of knowledge and competencies in the
34 see, for example, also Moulin & Thue 2005
247
ANNEX I – CASE STUDIES