In the latest WIPO Global Innovation Index, Estonia ranked high - we were the 16th among 139 countries. Our progress is driven by science, digital skills, and the use of high technology. However, Estonia’s contribution remains modest when it comes to developing advanced technological solutions and protecting its own intellectual property.
According to Janne Andresoo, Director General of the Estonian Patent Office, Estonian entrepreneurs have actively embraced high-tech opportunities, but “we are not protecting our intellectual property enough, nor are we profiting from it to the same extent as, for example, the Nordic countries.”
“At the meeting, we discussed ways to establish even closer strategic cooperation with WIPO to ensure that our entrepreneurs’ intellectual property is globally protected, to educate young people, and to deliver information directly to businesses. We want entrepreneurs to consider trade mark and invention protection in Estonia, Europe, and worldwide already when founding their businesses. This should be just as natural a step as registering a company name or a web domain. At the Patent Office, we are fully prepared to support our entrepreneurs so they can protect their businesses from malicious copycats,” Andresoo explained.
WIPO Director General Daren Tang congratulated Estonia on its ambitious AI Leap program, highlighting the similarity between Estonia and Singapore as innovative small countries that have gained global recognition for their courage to think differently. According to him, small states sometimes need to be a little “crazy” in order to make themselves visible to the world. Tang added that true success lies in using artificial intelligence to solve practical problems and reaffirmed WIPO’s readiness to fully support Estonia on this journey.