From left: Director BIP SXM Vincentia Rosen-Sandiford, member Supervisory Board BIP SXM Ahmed Bell, IT Representative and Presenter Chamber Venecia Herbert, Legal Advisor BIP SXM Gineke van Wijngaarden-Kuipers, Policy and Communications Advisor BIP SXM Aarti Jusia-Ramdihal and Chamber Director Anastacio Baker.
PHILIPSBURG–The Bureau for Intellectual Property (BIP) St. Maarten, on Monday, attended a business orientation session at the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) to gain more insight into the requirements for doing business in St. Maarten.
BIP plans to work with the Chamber to inform newly registered businesses about intellectual property rights. COCI recently started “business orientation” sessions for newly registered businesses. The initiative aims at assisting entrepreneurs with basic know-hows for doing business on the island.
BIP said in a press release on Wednesday that it is enthusiastic about the collaboration with Chamber. Although the business orientation primarily focuses on what business owners have to do, the Chamber also briefly addresses what can be done to create a thriving business. BIP’s input in the business orientation will be an added value to what you can do with your business, stated the release.
COCI Director Anastacio Baker said the Chamber wants to do its part in building a sustainable future for St. Maarten. “The only way we can achieve that is by ensuring that businesses continue to operate passed their start-up phase. It usually takes three to five years to make a business profitable. Not knowing all the basic rules for registering a business (in) St. Maarten can lead to non-compliance, not only at the tax administration but also at the SZV [Social and Health Insurances, Ed.], the economic licence department and the Labour Office etc., and the shut-down of one’s business during the first years of operating. The objective of the business orientation is to direct entrepreneurs to the relevant offices in order to finalise the proper set up of one’s business and thus creating a more solid foundation for success,” Baker was quoted as saying.
BIP Director Rosen-Sandiford said besides a business plan, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis and the use of marketing to promote goods and services, entrepreneurs can consider the use of intellectual property as a tool to create (more) wealth. One method is the development of one’s brand and the subsequent or simultaneous registration of one’s trademark, she added that a well-crafted mark is often a decisive tool for the success of any business, especially for a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in the market place.
BIP’s intellectual property services, in a broad sense, include mainly the registration of national and international trademarks, recording of ideas, concepts and creations in an i-Envelope, patent registrations via the Patent Bureau in the Netherlands and in general providing information on intellectual property rights, for example copyright.
COCI and BIP are “excited” to add intellectual property rights to the information provided in the business orientation and welcome businesses to attend this orientation free of charge. Additional information can be obtained by visiting www.bip.sx and www.chamberofcommerce.sx
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/79609-bip-attends-coci-business-orientation
View comments
Hide comments