Intellectual property protection and its practical application in Polish start-up enterprises
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/SPE/2020/116/15Keywords:
start-up, intellectual property, copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secretAbstract
Background: The subject of research in this article is the issue of intellectual property protection among the creators of Polish start-ups. This problem is all the more important as any neglect and omission in this area may prove destructive to emerging enterprises. Regardless of which form of protection a given start-up intends to choose, it is important that it occurs as soon as possible, especially when it comes to patent applications. Delays usually turn out to be expensive and may even result in the loss of the design or invention to another entity. Lacking the tradition of preventive actions means that start-ups are one of the least protected groups of companies operating on the market.
Research purpose: The research goal was to determine the level of awareness of start-up creators regarding the importance of copyright protection. Is their knowledge sufficient to protect the company against possible consequences, which may result, e.g. from the lack of patent protection. Finally, it was also necessary to determine whether the creators of start-ups use advisory services in the field of copyright protection.
Methods: The study used a telephone survey and a precisely selected target population. The telephone numbers of the respondents were obtained from the official websites of enterprises. The data obtained in this way was developed and interpreted, and the study itself was preceded by an analysis of the available documentation of enterprises whose representatives participated in the survey.
Conclusions: The study conducted among the creators of Polish start-ups demonstrates quite clearly that for various reasons they do not treat the problem as a priority, and thus expose their enterprises to completely unnecessary risk. Therefore, it seems necessary to take actions aimed at raising the level of entrepreneurs’ awareness. In practice, this means, among other things, the need for greater activity of business advisors. The role of consulting services at this stage of business development is often underestimated.
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