Why Indian brands are missing out on BILLIONS abroad – INTA CEO reveals the secret to going global!

Indian’s direct-to-consumer brands market has been projected for a $100 billion size by 2025. post-pandemic brand-boom has been enabled by high internet speed leveraged by innovative creators resulting in a huge volume of D2C brands. With over 190 million digital shoppers, appetite for consuming niche brands is increasing in India combined with an apathy for established ones. environment is ripe for creation and protection of intellectual property. In an EXCLUSIVE interview with Republic Business, CEO of International Tremark Association, Etienne Sanz de Acedo shared his key insights into India’s brand boom. Edited excerpts:

Entrepreneurship is booming in India like never before, do you think Indian brands should step up and explore global opportunities?

When I travel to India, I take back a lot of things which are originating in India. It is time for Indian businesses to stop working for or brands and have confidence to go to international marketplace as ir brand. In India, re are ideas, investors, and creators and y are largely restricted to Indian market y have scope to be successful, but y should have courage to step out in global marketplace with ir brand.

What growth opportunity awaits those who decide to step out of Indian shores?

Any company today can reach out to world. Of course, when you go abro, you need to protect your brand. When you look at India today, 70 percent of consumption is domestic, which is great but imagine potential of that multiplied by reaching out to foreign markets. refore, Indian companies can do so.

Intellectual Property is gold of  future, how crucial is protection of an idea given depth and expanse of internet?

Fifty years ago, 90 percent of value of companies was in ir tangible assets; now, 90 percent of value of companies is in ir intangible assets; so y need to protect and promote intangible assets. When a company starts up, y have to start protecting idea from very start. Now more than ever, it has become important to go out as a brand and that is what we are enabling at INTA – as biggest association of brand owners worldwide.

Will Artificial Intelligence change things for IP and how brands are created and protected?

Artificial Intelligence will change a lot of things in creating intellectual property. For instance, when something is being created with use of AI, who is owner of that property? Is generating tool author or one who is giving prompt is author? se minute considerations must be resolved and harmonised worldwide.

In age of massive access to social media, we have seen individuals with specific talent and quality becoming brands – what is your take on future of personal branding?

It is very exciting how individuals with ir own way of doing things are not only becoming powerful brands but also developing commercial value around m. Let us support that and see that money can be me through creation of individual brands. That’s most important for world and se brands need to be protected as y have tremendous potential.

Is it an exciting time for IP lawyers in India?

India is an exciting landscape for IP lawyers because of  way SMEs are growing in India and how women are developing businesses and becoming independent and confident in entrepreneurial landscape – ditionally how technology is enabling huge surge of entrepreneurship – everything holds a lot of promise. IP lawyers have a big scope here, and y need to understand language of business.