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IP Guide for SMEs
IP Management
Primer on IPR
Start-Up Company's IP Strategies
Protecting Your Business Name
Managing Intellectual Assets of
Your SME
Auditing Your IP
Developing IP Strategy
How can Your SME Acquire and
Maintain IPR?
Protecting Trade Secrets of
Your SME
Licensing of IPR
Patents
Using Patent Information
Turning Your Inventions into
Profit-making Assets
Procedures for the Grant and
Maintenance
Modern SMEs
Small Business Growth Strategies
Competitive
Excellence
Why is IP Relevant to Your SME?
IP for Competitiveness and Development
Why is IP Critical to Marketing
of Your Products?
How Can IP Enhance the Market
Value of Your SME?
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For John Groppoli, one of 4 directors of the Dome
Group of Companies, the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans is the smell of
intellectual property. The Dome Group have developed a comprehensive
IP strategy that flows
into almost every aspect of day-to-day business.
This aggressive approach to IP is rare throughout
Australian industry and, in fact, was not a feature of their early days in
business. It wasn't until Groppoli, also a partner in the high profile firm of
Deacons Graham and James, was appointed a director, that IP gained its current
prominence in business operations.
According to Groppoli, "For whatever reasons, there is this myth that
"intellectual property is patents", or "intellectual property is high tech", so
most business operators are very removed from the concept of intellectual
property and intellectual property rights. They just don't see it as relevant to
their operations."
For the board of directors of Dome, the first step
was to identify their IP assets, then take the necessary steps to protect and
manage those assets. Their strategy includes:
registering trademarks in Australia
with IP Australia and overseas for nation-wide monopolies in specific goods
and services classes;
registering their
business name
in each Australian state and territory. This move saves on inadvertent
infringement and the subsequent cost of following up on infringement;
acknowledging trade secrets.
These are protected through confidentiality agreements with franchisees and
employee agreements, and stipulate the consequences of abusing this
privileged information;
placing copyright notices on
all written material, including press releases, marketing materials,
training manuals and so on. Also formal, written assignment of copyright to
Dome, for logos, press releases and ads created externally;
active and regular monitoring of abuse of their intellectual property in the
marketplace, including searches of IP Australia's registered trade marks
database, state business and national company names registers, new telephone
listings and the Internet. When breeches are found, a letter is immediately
sent to the infringing part from John Groppoli;
and protecting their franchise image, which
includes a style guide for ways franchisees can use their registered trade
marks. Franchisee contracts also contain clauses prohibiting the use of the
Dome name in franchisee company names. This includes the production of Dome
Cafes in kit form for overseas franchisees to ensure the integrity of the
Dome "look".
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