Austria

• Available Market Research
• Best Prospects in the ICT Market
• Chambers of Commerce
• Channels of Distribution
  • Agents / Distributors
  • Business to Business (B2B)
    • Airlines
    • Banks
    • Newspapers
    • US Subsidiaries
  • Consultants
  • E-Commerce
    • Internet Service Providers
  • Educational
  • Governmental
  • OEM
    • Computer
  • Leasing
  • Retailers
  • Telecommunications Systems Operators
  • Used / Reconditioned
  • VARS, ISVs, Resellers, System Integrators
    • ISV
    • Resellers
    • System Integrators
• Directories and Databases
• Duties, Tariffs & Taxes
• General Country Information
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Legal Issues
• Market Research
• Search Engines
• Technical Standards
• Trade Associations
• Trade Publications
• Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Seminars
• Trade Statistics
• User Groups
• E-Mail Links to the Respective Industry Specialist(s)

Available Market Research

Industry Sector Analyses are industry specific reports prepared either by US Commercial Service Staff or local market research contractors.   Typical reports include:

• A Market Overview
• Market Highlights and Best prospects
• Statistical Data
• Best Sales Prospects
• Competitive Analysis
• End-User Analysis
• Market Access (includes information on duties, taxes, standards etc.)
• Trade Promotion Opportunities
• Trade Publications
• Market Research Companies
• Trade Associations
• Agents, Distributors and Manufacturers

International Marketing Insights (IMI) contain industry specific information and are short, concise reports.  

For a listing of available ISAs and / or IMIs, please click here.

This information is available free of charge to all US companies. 

Welcome to the U.S. Commercial Service

The U.S. Department of Commerce is represented worldwide by the Commercial Service.  The Commercial Service supports U.S. commercial interests and assists American businesses in their export marketing efforts.

Our offices offer business counseling and a wide range of tailored services to assist American firms to identify business opportunities throughout the world. Our offices foreign companies who wish to partner with American companies in areas of distribution of American products, joint ventures, and licensing. While some services are fee-based, many are provided free of charge. We welcome you to our site and encourage you to visit other websites that are likely to be of interest to you.  To find the country of interest, please visit: http://www.buyusa.gov/home/export.html. 

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Best Prospects in the ICT Market

For further information about the Austrian market, please consult the Country Commercial Guide.

You may also wish to visit the WebGuide for Austria prepared by the Michigan District Export Council and Ypsilanti US Export Assistance Center:

http://www.exportmichigan.biz/wg_we_austria.htm 

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Chambers of Commerce

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Channels of Distribution

For further information of the definitions of the channels of distribution, please click here. The following are known ICT sales channels.   They may or may not be available in all markets

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Agents / Distributors

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Business to Business (B2B)

Airlines

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Banks

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Newspapers

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US Subsidiaries

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Consultants

Computers

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E-Commerce

Internet

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Internet Service Providers

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Educational

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Governmental

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OEM

Computer

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Leasing

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Retailers

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Telecommunications Systems Operators

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Used / Reconditioned

Please see: http://web.ita.doc.gov/.

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VARS, ISVs, Resellers, System Integrators

ISV

Resellers

System Integrators

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Directories and Databases

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Duties, Tariffs & Taxes

The Trade Information Center has the European Union tariff schedule on-line for member countries listed above, as well as country specific value added tax rates.  Please see: http://www.trade.gov/td/tic/tariff/eu_schedule/index.html. 

For additional information specific to the ICT Sector, please see: http://web.ita.doc.gov/.

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General Country Information

http://www.oesterreich.com/	Austria.com - General country info
http://www.bergfex.at/	Bergfex - Ski tourism info
http://www.europainfo.at/	EU Information site for Austria
http://www.austria-tourism.at/	The Austrian National Tourist Office Vienna, Margaretenstr. 1, A-1040 Wien, Phone: +43 (0)1 / 588 66-0, Fax: +43 (0)1 / 588 66-20
http://www.help.gv.at	Austrian help site on the Internet that offers information which is necessary for living and working in Austria such as giving the public information on basic government services.
http://www.travel-guide.com/	World Travel Guide - Austria - Overview, Visa and Passport requirements, vacation advice, holiday guide, international travel, travel agent, business trip, flights and hotels.
http://www.countryreports.org	Directory of in depth profiles on countries around the world.
http://www.imf.org/	IMF Country page, country-specific information for over 180 countries, including Press Releases, Letters of Intent and IMF disbursements and country repayments.
http://www.austria.gv.at/	Austrian government homepage
http://www.bmaa.gv.at/	Austrian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ballhausplatz 2, A-1014 Vienna, Austria
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/	US Library of Congress, Comprehensive guide to Austria, including information on its culture, economy, geography, social and political conditions, and history.
http://www.ed-u.com/au.html	The Transatlantic Education Mega-Site, Austria's background and country profile
http://www.austria.org/	Austrian Press & Information Service, Washington D.C.
http://www.state.gov/	US Dept. of State's Background Notes
http://travel.state.gov/	US Dept. of State's Consular Information Sheet
http://www.usembassy-vienna.at/	US Embassy Vienna
http://www.fodors.com/	Fodors is known for being the best site for travel offering hotel, restaurant reviews and their series of mini-guides to specific destinations.
http://geography.about.com/	About's guide to Austria
http://travel.lycos.com/	Lycos Guide for Austria
https://www.cia.gov/	CIA Factbook

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Intellectual Property Rights

Austria is a member of all international intellectual property rights agreements. To begin the process of registering a patent in Austria or in the EU, contact CS Vienna or the Austrian Patent Office directly:

Oesterreichisches Patentamt

(Austrian Patent Office)

Kohlmarkt 8-10, A-1014 Vienna, Austria

Tel. (43 1) 534-24-0

Fax. (43 1) 534-24-110

Web: http://www.patentamt.at/ 

A list of patent attorneys is available through the Austrian Patent Attorney Chamber:

Oesterreichische Patentanwaltskammer

Museumstrasse 3

A-1070 Vienna, Austria

Tel. (43 1) 523 4382

Fax: (43 1) 523 4382-15

Email: pak@patentanwalt.at

Web: www.patentanwalt.at

The Austrian legal system protects secured interests in property, both movable and real.  Mortgages are recognized, if they are registered in the land register and the underlying contracts are valid. The law recognizes mortgages, if they are registered in the land register and the underlying contracts are valid. The land register provides a reliable system for recording interests in property. For any real estate agreement to be effective, the agreement must be entered with the land register. This requires approval of the land transfer commission or the office of the provincial governor. Any interested party has access to the land register.

Austria has effective laws to protect intellectual property rights, including patent and trademark laws; a law protecting industrial designs and models; and a copyright law.  Legislation also protects three-dimensional semiconductor chip layout design. In line with EU requirements, Austria has a law against product piracy to prevent trade in counterfeits. Austria is one of a number of EU member states that have yet to implement the EU Directive on Legal Protection of Biotech Inventions. The Austrian Government plans to transpose the EU Directive into national law in 2005. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) had requested the United States Government place Austria on the Special 301 Watch List. Several U.S. pharmaceutical companies have also reported problems obtaining timely remedy in Austrian courts in defending process-based patents against generic competitors.

Austria is a party to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and several international property conventions, including the European Patent Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Madrid Trademark Agreement, the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purpose of Patent Procedure, the Universal Copyright Convention, the Brussels Convention Relating to the Distribution of Program-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite, and the Geneva Treaty on the International Registration of Audiovisual Works. In compliance with the World Trade Organization Treaty on Intellectual Property (TRIPS), Austria extended patent terms so that patents on inventions are valid up to 20 years after application.

Since both the United States and Austria are members of the "Paris Union" International Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, American investors are entitled to the same kind of protection under Austrian patent legislation as are Austrian nationals.  In accordance with the Madrid Agreement, Austria’s protection period for trademarks is ten years, with the option to extend for another ten years, if registration is renewed before expiration.

Various regulations protect trade secrets. For example, the right to privacy, the data protection law, and the federal statistics law prevent publication of production data, provided there are four producers or less. 

Austrian copyright law grants the author the exclusive right to publish, distribute, copy, adapt, translate, and broadcast his work. Infringement proceedings, however, can be time consuming and complicated. Austria’s copyright law is in conformity with the EU directives on intellectual property rights. A 2003 amendment to the Austrian Copyright Act implemented the EU Directive on the Harmonization of Certain Aspects of Copyright and Related Rights in the Information Society and regulates copyrights of works on the Internet, protection of computer programs, and related damage compensation.

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Legal Issues

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Market Research

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Search Engines

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Technical Standards

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Trade Associations

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Trade Publications

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Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Seminars

Additional information on how to prepare for and select an international trade show can be found at

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Telecommunications Equipment