Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 30, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
With «The Idea», organisers Microsoft Germany and Messe Frankfurt want to promote social recognition of intellectual property in today’s knowledge society. Federal Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries is the competition’s patron.
According to an OECD report, the worldwide economic damage caused by product counterfeiting and brand piracy amounts to around 150 billion euros a year. At least 15 billion euros of this falls on the German economy alone. «The great importance of intellectual property cannot be emphasised strongly enough, especially in today’s knowledge society», explains Dorothee Belz, Director of Law and Policy and a member of Microsoft Germany’s management board. «Ideas are the cornerstones of this society. This knowledge, in other words intellectual property, is a central economic factor. We have therefore set ourselves the goal, together with Messe Frankfurt, of creating incentives for broad commitment to intellectual property across industries.» To promote society’s appreciation of intellectual property, Microsoft will continue «The Idea», the competition launched in 2006. Messe Frankfurt is a new partner in organising the competition from this year. «As a trade fair company, we have a strong interest in protection against product and brand piracy», says Detlef Braun, managing director of Messe Frankfurt. «We want to protect our exhibitors from the theft of ideas. Our information stand ‘Messe Frankfurt against Copying’ is therefore now a permanent feature of many trade fairs. ‘The Idea’ is an excellent opportunity for us to draw attention to the dangers of intellectual property infringement beyond the exhibition grounds as well.»
The Competition
«The Idea» is aimed at participants who have made outstanding contributions to protecting intellectual property in their professional environment. These may be companies, associations, clubs, institutions or individuals. Applications can be submitted by the entrants themselves or proposed by third parties. The application period runs until spring 2009. A jury of independent experts will then assess all submitted proposals and select the winner. The awards ceremony takes place on Intellectual Property Day, April 26, 2009. The winner will receive the «The Idea» challenge trophy, a bronze sculpture by artist Bertrand Freiesleben.