There are few of them, they do not create many jobs and generate even less revenues. But they are a vital resource that needs to be nurtured, because they often represent the front line of innovation and technology that opens the way to progess

Asia's economic giant has reached a stage where it stands to gain from protecting the patents and trademarks of its firms, while acknowledging the intellectual property rights of Western companies

Foreign investors are increasingly targeting the Italian fashion and luxury industry, while Italian electrical and mechanical engineering suppliers are suffering because of the crisis

Swiss banking still trails behind in international standards, but several steps have been made in the right direction. Unless Switzerland reaches binding agreements with the USA and the EU about cross-border transactions, it runs the risk of international isolation

Only when a physical object is covered by copyright should the law grant protection from digital reproduction. But manufacturers of many kinds fear that free circulation of 3D printable files will lead to unlicensed private copying at lower costs

With a lot of capital at their disposal and limited staff, these financial operators prefer to aim for large-scale corporate assets and development projects. Alas, most of Italy's companies are relatively small and might not even be consided by sovereign funds