| In 2010, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) commissioned a research project to analyze the economic conditions for the development and protection of intellectual property in Poland. The study presented the economic developments and features of the national system of innovations in Poland, outlining specific challenges of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection with the focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It relied on economic and bibliometric data, including previous quantitative surveys and case studies.
The report pointed to the relative effectiveness of IPR-related processes in Poland when compared with the total expenditures on R&D. In 2008, for each 1M USD of GERD (Gross Expenditure on Research & Development) in Poland, 0.7 patent applications were filed. The indicator for Poland remained on exactly the same level as for Germany and the United States, with the United Kingdom and Italy filing only 0.4 applications, Finland and Denmark – 0.3 applications, and Spain – 0.2 applications. However, Poland was behind more aggressively patenting countries, including South Korea (3.3 applications per 1m USD GERD), Japan (2.4 applications) and China (2.0 applications). The study analyzed barriers to patenting related to SMEs, offering examples of successful IPR protection but also success stories of companies which decided to refrain from patenting their inventions and were relying on technology secrets instead (including HTL-Strefa, the leading producer of safety and personal lancets). It also addressed the challenges of developing local counterparts of known innovative drugs, referring to the examples of Maxigra (Polish drug, similar to Pfizer’s Viagra) and Zolfaren (developed by the Polish pharmaceutical company Adamed, and successfully beating the US market leader Eli Lilly, who manufactured the original version of this olanzapin-based drug, known as Zyprexa). Moreover, issues of software piracy and trademark infringements were also discussed. Researchers involved: Krzysztof Klincewicz, Adrianna Jednoralska, Magdalena Miedzianowska, Marcin Żemigała |
