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Local SMEs now have the opportunity to take a more proactive approach in protecting their brands thanks to a local SME consulting firm Vai Virtual Consulting.
Lead consultant at Vai Virtual, Mea Vai, said that many SMEs operated without protecting their brands either due to lack of knowledge on the importance of intellectual property or the cost of going through the application process to register their brands as trademarks.
“Many SMEs are reactive to infringement situations – they only come to us for help when they’ve found out that a competitor has been using, without their authority, a brand identical or similar to theirs. In almost all these cases, the SME owners do not have registered trademarks in place which it makes even more difficult to enforce the rights they claim” Vai said.
Vai said that there were two obvious reasons why SMEs do not register their brands as trademarks.
“Lack of understanding on the basics of how intellectual property works and cost. IP is essentially a business asset. SME owners must understand the benefits of registering them and the risks of not registering them. As for cost, IP protection has generally been viewed by SMEs as a costly exercise and limited to the larger corporates. This shouldn’t be.” Vai explained.
As a consulting firm with a mission to make professional business and legal services accessible and affordable to Papua New Guineans, Vai Virtual Consulting in association with its IP Legal arm, Vai IP, have come up with a unique solution to address these barriers.
“Our SME Brand Protection package is quite simply a financial solution for SME owners. With four repayment options available, SME owners can choose a package that suits their budget. The initial deposit paid online kicks off the process and the requirements, step-by-step guide is downloadable instantly on payment. It’s a virtual service after all so no need to travel, meet etc – it’s all done online.” Vai said.
The benefits of the unique opportunity isn’t just a financial one for SME owners.
Vai explained that it give a sense of hope to brand owners that there’s an accessible and affordable solution to protect their brands.
“The more people that become aware of the importance of IP and the solutions like our SME Brand Protection Package, there’s a greater understanding of IP in the marketplace and of course a greater appreciation of it. The reality is that IP infringement won’t be eradicated entirely but at least SMEs have an opportunity to be more proactive in protecting an intangible and valuable part of their business” Vai concluded.
Details of the SME Brand Protection package can be viewed online through this link and you can also purchase the packages directly on the firm’s website here – https://vaivirtual.com/product/sme-brand-protection-deposit/.
Vai Virtual Consulting is a local consulting firm specializing in SME business administration.
Vai IP specializes in the protection of intellectual property for both local and overseas clients.
