3ngage: Digitalised product experiences

Founded in 2016, 3ngage is a Swedish tech company that specialises in creating interactive, digitalised product experiences for the manufacturing, healthcare and other sectors. Their mission is to transform how people understand and interact with complex products, using immersive technologies such as digital twins, 3D visualisation, and AI-powered simulations. 3ngage helps companies communicate technical value propositions through engaging, multilingual digital experiences used in training, sales, and after-sales support.

3ngage’s core offering, interactive product experience, rely heavily on proprietary knowledge, software architecture, and brand recognition. As the company expanded collaborations with large manufacturers through programs like ShiftLabs and EIT Manufacturing, protecting its digital knowledge assets and brand reputation became critical to sustain growth and investor confidence.

Their key concerns were:

• Securing ownership of digital learning materials, 3D models, and AI frameworks.

• Protecting brand identity through trademarks and design rights.

• Ensuring competitive advantage while entering new markets and scaling internationally.

• Understanding the IP landscape to make informed strategic decisions regarding investments, partnerships, and potential licensing models.

Recognising the complexity of these issues, 3ngage approached ShiftLabs (Swedish network for Sustainable Digitalisation and Human-Centric Factory Transformation) and EIT Manufacturing to access tailored innovation support, specifically, to build internal competence around intellectual property (IP) strategy development.

3ngage participated in a three-session individual coaching series focused on developing and implementing a practical IP strategy. The sessions were designed to build internal capacity, provide actionable insights, and guide the company in securing its key knowledge assets. Below is a summary of each session:

1. Session: Understanding the context

• Mapped the company’s core technological assets and business model to identify where IP protection would be most effective.

• Reviewed existing digital assets such as 3D models, source code, simulation frameworks, and branding elements.

• Introduced Patsnap and other IP search tools to explore relevant patents, market trends, and the IP portfolios of competitors.

• Set out goals and expectations for the coaching series, with a view to establishing a sustainable and context-specific IP strategy.

2. Session: IP search

• Provided an overview of the different types of intellectual property rights applicable to 3ngage, including trademarks, copyright, design rights, patents, and trade secrets.

• Delivered practical training in the use of Patsnap and publicly available IP databases to carry out structured patent and trademark searches.

• Supported the company in prioritising actionable steps based on the findings, such as initiating trademark applications and updating internal confidentiality processes.

• Drafted the core of an optimised IP strategy, aligned with business goals and available resources.

3. Session: Wrap-up and strategy roadmap

• Evaluated the results of the previous two sessions, reviewing what had been learned and what actions had already been taken.

• Finalised a tailored IP strategy roadmap, detailing short-, medium-, and long-term protection measures.

• Discussed how to continue using IP tools independently, equipping the team with the knowledge to carry on the work beyond the coaching programme.

• Outlined next steps, including specific filings, internal policy implementation, and integrating IP planning into wider strategic roadmap.

The sessions provided an overview of various IP tools to be incorporated into the customer’s strategy. Each asset type was explored, helping the customer understand the costs, security coverage, and requirements. IP search tools, such as patent and trademark searches, were used to identify the company’s competition. This approach allowed the customer to gain valuable insights into innovation trends, identify potential collaboration partners, investors, thought leaders, and the competitors’ IP positioning. The coaching on competitive insights formed the foundation for the next session, focusing on identifying the most feasible IP strategy for the customer. 

The sessions also delved into practical aspects of knowledge asset protection, including NDAs, secrecy policies, open-source policies, patenting, trademark, and branding strategies. By the end of the coaching series, the customer received a tailored strategy to secure ownership over their digital assets, with tools to protect key items in their business model and monitor the market and competitors.