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What's in a curry puff? Just spicy potatoes, egg and meat in fried pastry skin, right?

For Old Chang Kee, there is one other vital ingredient - IP or intellectual property.

Old Chang Kee, a well-known Singapore brand, continually invests in developing and introducing new products and concepts to attract new customers. For instance, the homegrown company has introduced two additional flavours for their curry puffs, Sardine'O and Pepper'O, and launched the Take 5! fast food concept in various local outlets.

Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said during his visit today to Old Change Kee, which hosted the launch of the Intellectual Property Management (IPM) for SMEs Programme: "There is IP even in something as simple as a curry puff."

He added: "As with any property or asset, companies must manage their IP properly. They need to put in place a system to create, own, protect and exploit their IP.

"Given a proper internal IP management system and conducive legal environment, companies can leverage on IP to generate revenue by licensing or franchising, attract partnerships, protect market share, and further enhance their product or service offerings."

Citing examples such as Dell, Proctor & Gamble and Coca Cola, Mr Lee pointed out that such companies have used IP to capture market share and enhance shareholder value. But, he told those present at the launch that utilising the potential offered by a business's IP need not be confined to multinationals. SMEs should also leverage on their IP to grow and compete in international markets, as local companies like Old Chang Kee have done.

Besides Old Chang Kee, Singapore already has some outstanding examples, said Mr Lee.

Stikfas

Stikfas is a five-year-old home-grown toy manufacturer. Its ball-and-socket design has been awarded a US patent.

Leveraging on its IP, Stikfas licensed its brand to US toy giant Hasbro from 2002 to 2004, the first local toy company to secure such a major international deal.

Stikfas has since decided to regain control of its core line and manage the design, marketing, manufacturing and distribution channels itself. While designs, patents and copyrights are important, Stikfas also places emphasis on the IP creation process as part of its whole IP framework.

To date, it has sold over one million action figure toys in Japan, UK, US, South Africa and other markets.

Trek 2000

Trek 2000 is the inventor of the ThumbDrive™ and the company has obtained legal protection for its invention.

The company considered the commercial value of the invention and the potential revenue stream before placing large amounts of resources into IP management because registering and protecting its trademark and patents around the world was expensive.

But, these efforts are paying off as Trek's licensing segment is propelling the company's business growth, helping to bring in over $2.5m in 2006.

To encourage more SMEs to develop IP management systems, SPRING Singapore and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) are launching a new $9 million Intellectual Property Management (IPM) for SMEs Programme. This programme aims to help some 200 SMEs develop capabilities to manage their IP over the next two years.

The programme will support SMEs in IP management in two phases. The first phase uses IPOS's diagnostic tool to identify existing and potential IP in the company, and possible areas of capability development. The second is the implementation of IP management capabilities, which may include areas such as development of branding and franchising.

To encourage more SMEs to develop and focus on IP development, Mr Lee announced that the government will defray part of the costs involved.

He said: "Protecting products by filing patents and trademarks is just part of the picture; we also need to look at the wider system to create, own, protect and exploit IP to extract maximum value.

"There is potential IP in any product or service across industries, and we will work with our SMEs to better leverage on IP to capture growth opportunities."