invest.belgium.be Invest in Belgium : Belgian Federal Government
Organization : Belgian Federal Government
Type of Facility : Invest in Belgium
Country: Belgium
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Website : http://invest.belgium.be/
Belgium Portal: http://www.belgium.be/en/economy/invest_in_belgium/
Invest in Belgium
Brussels is not only the capital of Belgium and Europe, but it is also one of the three regions – along with Flanders and Wallonia – that together make up the federal state of Belgium.
Related / Similar Status :
The regions enjoy powers and responsibilities in many areas, including the economy, employment, energy and scientific research.
Alongside the federal government’s fiscal measures, Brussels supports business through incentives, auxiliary measures and premiums. It also provides support for recruitment, training, logistics and research and development. If you wish to invest or set up a business in Brussels, then visit www.investinbrussels.be to learn more about all the available opportunities.
Brussels has a population of approximately 1 million and covers 162 km². The region is home to 54,000 businesses, mostly SMEs and international companies. The region is officially bilingual (French and Dutch) but in practice, the city of Brussels is one of the most cosmopolitan in Europe and lies at the crossroads between the Germanic, Latin and Anglo-Saxon cultures.
The economic heart of Europe:
As home to headquarters of all the main EU institutions, Brussels has become a key decision-making centre and a hotbed of economic activity. Some 13,000 lobbyists are active in the city, ranking it second only behind Washington DC in terms of sheer numbers of interest groups and NGOs.
Its location at the heart of the European rail network means that Brussels is just 1 hour 20 minutes from Paris and 1 hour 51 minutes from London by train. But compared to those cities, Brussels has managed to retain a highly competitive real estate market and it is certainly no coincidence that so many multinational companies have already chosen to set up their respective European headquarters in the city.
Intellectual property:
Do you want to acquire sole rights to manufacture and market a new product? In other words, do you want to avoid your competitors profiting from creations or inventions into which you have invested your time and money?
You need to register the product and its descriptive documentation.
Whether it is a matter of a technological advance, a form or a name, these aspects can all be covered by official rights which allow you to prevent a third party from copying those that belong to you without your permission. However, not everything can be protected and not everything that can be protected necessarily requires registration.
There are various forms of protection: copyright, patent, trademark, design right.
Creations and distinguishing marks:
The term “intellectual property” covers all the products of the human imagination. These intangible and intellectual products are divided into two categories: creations and distinguishing marks.
Creations include technical creations such as inventions and plant varieties in the fields of agriculture and horticulture. Aesthetic and artistic creations include literary and intellectual work, sculptures and paintings, music, films and photography, and also the external form (design) of a utilitarian object. Trademarks and logos are considered as being distinguishing marks.
Inventions, plant varieties, trademarks and the external forms of utilitarian objects fall into a category known as industrial property.
Intellectual property rights such as patents, plant breeders’ rights, copyright, design rights and trademarks give their holders an exclusive right for a limited time to exploit their intellectual property within a given jurisdiction. Such a monopoly is a stimulus to the innovations which are the key to economic growth, but runs contrary to the right of free competition which is vital to a free market economy.
This is why intellectual property rights are only granted under strictly defined conditions and for a finite period.