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wheel.me: an IP strategy is important to get investors

wheel.me protects products and solutions with both trademark, design registration and patent. They consider which markets they want to enter, and ensure the right protection there.

Is it possible to reinvent the wheel? That was the challenge that the founders of wheel.me took on in 2013. They wanted to use "smart wheels" to move everything in a much simpler way than before. Their goal is to become the platform of choice for indoor mobility. In addition to the physical wheel, they connect sensors that make the wheel self-driving. In sum, this creates flexibility and innovative solutions for smart buildings.

The possibilities of use are many and cover, for example, material handling in production, moving goods for logistics, moving beds and equipment in hospitals, flexible setup of chairs and tables in conference rooms and moving walls for easy rearranging at home or at work. The solution is controlled by the company's own developed app or by voice, and data processing takes place in the cloud. One of the competitive advantages is low price and high flexibility compared to alternative solutions.

Has trademark, design rights and patent

wheel.me protects its products and solutions by trademark, design registration and patent. They assess which markets they want to enter, and ensure protection. They have also used preliminary investigations to find out where they have the freedom to develop new technology.

They have used external advisers throughout the process. The advisors also took care of the rights afterwards. wheel.me also monitors itself whether the product is copied through collaboration partners, information on the web and other activities. They produce in Norway, and thus avoid copying problems that can arise when production takes place abroad.

A tip for others is to be aware of the strategy linked to IP. Think through what you want to achieve. They recommend taking the chance to patent broadly, and not be afraid of opposition. If they do not encounter opposition, the patent is too narrow. It is important to ensure the freedom to operate freely.

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See what wheel.me thinks about the protection of rights [duration 00:17]

External support

wheel.me has received support from Innovation Norway and the EU system through Horizon 2020 and Eurostarts, the latter in collaboration with the Research Council. They believe that a strong IP portfolio and a conscious relationship with IPR strategy have been important in order to be included in these support programmes.

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