PONS IP, a global consulting firm specialising in strategic intellectual property management, and FEDESOFT, the Colombian Federation of Software and Related Information Technology Industries, held a working session for Latin American entrepreneurs as part of the “Softlanding in Spain” programme, an initiative aimed at facilitating the international expansion of Colombian technology companies into the European market. This is the consulting firm’s first activity in Spain as ambassador in our country for the Andean organisation.

A large delegation of Colombian entrepreneurs, representatives of leading companies in software verticals specialising in health, industry and cybersecurity, and government representatives, coordinated by FEDESOFT’s Competitiveness and Internationalisation Manager, Jennifer Heredia, participated in the activities planned for the immersion agenda at the Madrid headquarters of Fundación PONS.

Representing PONS IP, Luis Ignacio Vicente del Olmo, Strategic Advisor, and Violeta Arnaiz Medina as the consulting firm’s Director of Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence and Software, ran a working session to address the regulatory framework and digitisation policies in Spain, as well as practical issues regarding intellectual property protection for international software companies in Spain and Europe. This allowed entrepreneurs to learn first-hand and from a regulatory perspective how to safely access the European market from the viewpoint of intellectual property protection.

Intellectual property culture, an unresolved issue for companies in Colombia

Despite the positive data on the evolution of intangible asset registration through the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), a recent study by PONS IP in collaboration with KREAB Colombia and Views Corporation revealed that three out of four companies have not registered trademarks with the SIC; only 1.2% have applied for a patent and 5.1% have registered copyrights, so there is an opportunity to promote digital transformation in their companies.

For this reason, after the meeting, both organisations expressed their willingness to continue promoting joint actions through PONS IP and FEDESOFT, in Spain and Colombia, consolidating this support network for internationalisation with the development of new opportunities in the software sector through intellectual property.

About FEDESOFT

FEDESOFT, the Colombian Federation of Software and Related Information Technology Industries, is the leading trade association in Colombia, with more than 30 years of experience dedicated to strengthening the national software industry. Its work focuses on the development of public policies, the promotion of training and competitiveness of companies in the sector, the generation of specialised sectoral information and the exploration of global opportunities that position Colombia as a world-class technology provider, with the aim of the industry representing 5% of the national GDP by 2025.