Los derechos de propiedad intelectual (DPI) como instrumento para mejorar la competitividad de las MIPYMES exportadoras en Costa Rica
Fecha
2015
Autores
Morales Camacho, María Fernanda
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Editor
Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica
Resumen
La estrategia de Costa Rica para insertarse en las cadenas globales de valor mediante la apertura comercial, la atracción de inversión extranjera directa con mayor valor agregado y una oferta más sofisticada en su canasta exportadora trae a colación la importancia de la propiedad intelectual y su protección en el contexto de la economía del conocimiento. El tema de propiedad intelectual en el país se mantiene al margen de la discusión pública con algunas excepciones vinculadas con el proceso de aprobación del Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Centroamérica, República Dominicana y los Estados Unidos (NAFTA por sus siglas en inglés) y la entrada en vigencia del Acuerdo de Asociación entre Centroamérica y la Unión Europea (AACUE); debido a la importancia que, tanto Estados Unidos como los países miembros de la Unión Europea (UE) le otorgan a la propiedad intelectual, dada las características de sus economías. Así, en Costa Rica, aún prevalece una cultura de no protección (con excepción del registro de marcas) impulsada por una creciente informalidad, insuficiencias en los sistemas de apoyo a la innovación y el impacto de la piratería en la economía.
En este sentido, un actor importante de la economía nacional como lo es el sector de las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas (mipymes) se ha caracterizado por enfrentar múltiples obstáculos institucionales y coyunturales que les dificultan su permanencia en el mercado; entre estos se encuentran las debilidades en materia de innovación y la protección de las creaciones, fundamentalmente, por el desconocimiento sobre las alternativas de protección, las dificultades administrativas y de costos asociadas con los sistemas de registro, principalmente. De esta forma, una gran parte de las mipymes operan en el mercado nacional sin protección a sus activos intangibles; o bien, al emprender un proceso de internacionalización o insertarse en encadenamientos productivos no consideran los riesgos de no registrar sus innovaciones y se enfrentan a la piratería o el fracaso por la competencia.
En este contexto es que la presente investigación parte de un vacío en los estudios académicos sobre propiedad intelectual, internacionalización y mipymes a nivel nacional en la medida que se desconoce el impacto de los derechos de propiedad intelectual en la competitividad y proceso exportador de estas unidades productivas; así como las alternativas para lograr una protección más expedita y efectiva. Razón por la cual, a partir de investigación teórica, recopilación bibliográfica de estudios de casos y entrevistas a expertos en la materia se propone una serie de recomendaciones anexas a los capítulos principales para que, tanto el micro, pequeño o mediano empresario, con un nivel básico sobre gestión de su mipyme y conocimiento de la economía nacional, pueda acceder, de manera sencilla, a los procesos que se requieren para la protección de sus creaciones.
Costa Rica's strategy to insert itself into global value chains through trade liberalization, the attraction of foreign direct investment with higher value added and a more sophisticated offer in its export basket brings up the importance of intellectual property and its protection in the context of the knowledge economy. The issue of intellectual property in the country remains on the sidelines of public discussion with some exceptions linked to the approval process of the Free Trade Agreement between Central America, the Dominican Republic and the United States (NAFTA) and the entry into force of the Association Agreement between Central America and the European Union (AACUE), due to the importance that both the United States and the member countries of the European Union (EU) give to intellectual property, given the characteristics of their economies. Thus, in Costa Rica, a culture of non-protection (with the exception of trademark registration) still prevails, driven by a growing informality, inadequacies in innovation support systems and the impact of piracy on the economy. In this sense, the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector, an important player in the national economy, has been characterized by facing multiple institutional and economic obstacles that make it difficult for them to remain in the market; among these are the weaknesses in terms of innovation and protection of creations, mainly due to the lack of knowledge about protection alternatives, administrative difficulties and costs associated with registration systems, mainly. Thus, a large number of MSMEs operate in the domestic market without protection for their intangible assets; or, when undertaking a process of internationalization or inserting themselves into productive chains, they do not consider the risks of not registering their innovations and face piracy or failure due to competition. In this context, this research is based on a gap in academic studies on intellectual property, internationalization and MSMEs at the national level, to the extent that the impact of intellectual property rights on the competitiveness and exporting process of these productive units is unknown, as well as the alternatives to achieve a more expeditious and effective protection. For this reason, based on theoretical research, bibliographic compilation of case studies and interviews with experts in the field, a series of recommendations are proposed as annexes to the main chapters so that the micro, small or medium-sized entrepreneur, with a basic level of management of his MSMEs and knowledge of the national economy, can easily access the processes required for the protection of his creations.
Costa Rica's strategy to insert itself into global value chains through trade liberalization, the attraction of foreign direct investment with higher value added and a more sophisticated offer in its export basket brings up the importance of intellectual property and its protection in the context of the knowledge economy. The issue of intellectual property in the country remains on the sidelines of public discussion with some exceptions linked to the approval process of the Free Trade Agreement between Central America, the Dominican Republic and the United States (NAFTA) and the entry into force of the Association Agreement between Central America and the European Union (AACUE), due to the importance that both the United States and the member countries of the European Union (EU) give to intellectual property, given the characteristics of their economies. Thus, in Costa Rica, a culture of non-protection (with the exception of trademark registration) still prevails, driven by a growing informality, inadequacies in innovation support systems and the impact of piracy on the economy. In this sense, the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector, an important player in the national economy, has been characterized by facing multiple institutional and economic obstacles that make it difficult for them to remain in the market; among these are the weaknesses in terms of innovation and protection of creations, mainly due to the lack of knowledge about protection alternatives, administrative difficulties and costs associated with registration systems, mainly. Thus, a large number of MSMEs operate in the domestic market without protection for their intangible assets; or, when undertaking a process of internationalization or inserting themselves into productive chains, they do not consider the risks of not registering their innovations and face piracy or failure due to competition. In this context, this research is based on a gap in academic studies on intellectual property, internationalization and MSMEs at the national level, to the extent that the impact of intellectual property rights on the competitiveness and exporting process of these productive units is unknown, as well as the alternatives to achieve a more expeditious and effective protection. For this reason, based on theoretical research, bibliographic compilation of case studies and interviews with experts in the field, a series of recommendations are proposed as annexes to the main chapters so that the micro, small or medium-sized entrepreneur, with a basic level of management of his MSMEs and knowledge of the national economy, can easily access the processes required for the protection of his creations.
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Palabras clave
COMPETITIVIDAD, PROPIEDAD INDUSTRIAL, PROPIEDAD INTELECTUAL, PYMES, COMPETITIVENESS, INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, SMES