Intellectual property rights at core of economic development, says MDIC executive secretary

Intellectual property rights are at the core of economic development, industrial policy and foreign trade. This was the key message delivered by the Executive Secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services (Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços /MDIC) on Tuesday (March 17) during the opening of the XXIV International Congress on Intellectual Property, in which he participated online as a speaker.

At the hybrid event, Márcio Elias Rosa referenced the publication “The Economic Contribution of Intellectual Property-Intensive Industries in Brazil”, which states that 461 intellectual property-intensive economic sectors account for 40% of the country’s formal employment, employ 22 million people, and represent 64% of exports. “This study by the National Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Intelectual/ INPI) reveals that the industry that offers the best salaries is the one capable of ensuring access to knowledge and technological development. It is the one capable of competing both domestically and internationally, contributing to nearly 50% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In other words, it is an absolutely strategic sector,” he stated.

The executive secretary also spoke about the importance of balancing the protection of intellectual property rights with the promotion of access to knowledge. According to him, society and companies need to be prepared and attentive to use the knowledge available in intellectual property databases to develop products and processes, produce strategic market information, and identify technological trends. "As a government, we work to encourage innovation and patent filings (formal registrations made by an individual or company with the responsible intellectual property agency to protect the invention or utility model)," he stated. He also explained that the government is working to ensure that high-quality research and development transform into innovation, competitiveness, and productivity for the industry, startups, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

To this end, Márcio Elias Rosa emphasized the necessary provision of efficient and accessible services. Regarding initiatives under the responsibility of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services and the National Institute of Industrial Property, he mentioned that the average time for patent examination in Brazil dropped from 4.3 years to 3 years. “The goal of Vice President and Minister Geraldo Alckmin is to reduce this period to 2 years by the end of 2026,” he said. To achieve this, the MDIC has been working on a series of measures aimed at simplifying and streamlining the process and reducing bureaucracy.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY - The Intellectual Property Ministerial Group (GIPI) is a federal government body, chaired by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services, responsible for implementing the National Intellectual Property Strategy (Estratégia Nacional de Propriedade Intelectual /ENPI). Of the 162 deliverables outlined in the current 2023–2025 Action Plan, 73 have already been completed, with 31 executed by INPI and 11 by MDIC. Notable achievements among the ongoing or completed actions include structural measures for INPI, such as staff recruitment and the testing of artificial intelligence systems, as well as intellectual property training and awareness programs targeting various audiences.

Among the protection and commercialization measures is the launch of a digital platform for the control and traceability of coffee products with Geographical Indications (GIs). This initiative is part of Mission 1 of the New Industry Brazil (Agroindustrial Chains), where intellectual property is outlined as one of its instruments.

Márcio Elias Rosa cited other examples. "In Mission Two (Health Economic-Industrial Complex), information on patent deposits can be used to support research and development (R&D) policies to reduce our vulnerability, especially in the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde/SUS). And in Mission Five (Bioeconomy, Decarbonization, and Energy Transition), the goal is to bring the issue of intellectual property into the debate in the context of COP30," he said. This is because, according to him, it could be an important tool to drive technological development of sustainable solutions to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.

The MDIC executive secretary also addressed sustainability in production processes as a growing global trend. "New Industry Brazil is moving in this direction by ensuring investments in science and technology so that Brazil's great asset, environmental sustainability, can become a major factor in attracting investment," he affirmed. To conclude, he stated that Brazil's science and technology institutes need to be more connected to the productive sector. "A large portion of what universities produce needs to be linked to market needs and the potential of the productive sector," he concluded, after emphasizing the crucial importance of dialogue between the government, academia, legal operators, the private sector, and representative associations.

LEARN MORE - The XXIV International Intellectual Property Congress was organized by the São Paulo Intellectual Property Association (Associação Paulista de Propriedade Intelectual /ASPI), one of the civil society institutions participating in discussions within the Interinstitutional Intellectual Property Group (Grupo Interinstitucional de Propriedade Intelectual /GIPI).

This group oversees the implementation of the National Intellectual Property Strategy, designed to coordinate and strengthen the National Intellectual Property System (Sistema Nacional de Propriedade Intelectual/SNPI), a framework of policies, institutions, and regulations aimed at protecting intellectual property rights in Brazil

The strategy encompasses 210 actions across seven strategic pillars, set to be implemented by 2030, involving both government institutions and civil society entities, which, like public institutions, share responsibility for the outcomes.