As blockchain and AI continue to transform industries, companies like Mediterraneo Lab 4.0 are leading the way in workforce management solutions. Located in the Salerno district, Southern Italy, this SME leverages AI and blockchain to ensure transparent and verifiable labour credentials. In an interview, Giampiero Zito, CEO & Innovation Manager reveals the story behind their innovative product Workers Badge/Blockchain Credentials, their strategic IP protection decisions, and how these choices have influenced the company’s growth and global reach.
 

• Can you briefly describe your innovation involving blockchain and AI? What is the story behind it?

In 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, I was considering what type of solution could guarantee effective matching of labour supply and demand, and what methods and technologies could support a win-win process for both workers and companies. Mediterraneo Lab 4.0 and I were already working to improve the digital skills of SME workers and to make the upskilling and reskilling process more transparent.
During the lockdown in March 2020, I accelerated research activities on the technological impact of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for verifiable credentials and how AI could enhance information processing based on the Knowledge Graph, supporting users in choosing courses aligned with their previous experiences and/or desired careers.
On April 8, 2020, I, along with Mediterraneo Lab 4.0, filed Patent No 102020000007453 with the Italian Patent and Trade mark Office (UIBM). The patent was registered after two years in Italy and then in the USA (No 0334608/A1) through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). We are currently awaiting feedback on the patent from the European Patent Office.
 

• What rights does your company’s IP portfolio entail? Have you benefitted from any EUIPO SME support services, such as the SME Fund?

We hold the patent for ‘Integrated methods and technologies to track and certify the skills and smart working of workers and multiply welfare services with a logic of sharing economy,’ registered in Italy and the USA. After securing the patent, we began developing a decentralised web app in the fourth quarter of 2021, which has been registered with SIAE for copyright, following the market launch in March 2023. At the same time, we decided to protect the official trade mark of our product, ‘WORKERS BADGE/BLOCKCHAIN CREDENTIALS,’ with the EUIPO, and it was registered by the office in November 2021. Following this, we extended our IP protection to the USA, and the USPTO issued the official certificate of our trade mark in June 2024.
In 2022, we decided to protect another trade mark, ‘JOB NFT,’ which will represent another product/service currently in our R&D timeline. We have benefitted from the Italian Government Fund for the PCT of our patent, and we are awaiting funds for the reimbursement of the costs incurred for trade mark deposits.
Unfortunately, in the past, we were unaware of the opportunities offered by the SME Fund.
 

• Why did you decide to register different types of IP, such as trade marks and patents? How do you believe this will boost your business growth?

I believe that intellectual property rights are essential for the sustainable growth of a company. It’s important to emphasise that each type of right has its own unique characteristics and impacts the company’s valuation and business in different ways.

"In a world increasingly dominated by the proliferation of similar services and names across different regions, trade marks ensure our uniqueness and distinguish our brand in the global market"

For instance, a patent gives us a strategic advantage by protecting the methods used in our products and services, while also recognising our technological supremacy and vision on the international stage. It allows us to pursue technology transfer both in regions where intellectual property rights are protected and in those where they are not, as we found partners willing to support us in expanding our rights in those areas or in using our methods for their own products and services, with royalties paid to us.
Registered trade marks, on the other hand, provide us with international recognition. In a world increasingly dominated by the proliferation of similar services and names across different regions, trade marks ensure our uniqueness and distinguish our brand in the global market.
 

• In which regions have you chosen to protect your brand and product? How does the geographical scope of your IP protection contribute to your company’s success?

We have decided to protect our patents and trade marks in Italy, Europe and the USA. As an innovative SME, our intellectual property rights will enable us to grow on a European scale in the coming years. Once our products and services have been validated in that region, we will aim to enter the US market, which currently represents the largest market for Software as a Service and web platforms.
Thanks to our patent registered in the USA, our entry opportunities are enhanced, as we can pursue not only direct sales of services but also partnerships with US companies already established in the market. These partners, in exchange for royalties, can promote the Workers Badge brand and services using their own resources and infrastructure.
As for Europe, we hope to secure the patent soon, despite having exercised the right to opt out of the Unified Patent Court. This decision was made, albeit with some reservations, to avoid the risk of the patent application being invalidated across all European countries. In the event of a positive outcome, we will choose protection in European countries where conditions are most favourable for the development of our services and, above all, where there is greater sensitivity (including legislative) towards the technologies we have integrated into our web platform.

"Some entrepreneurs do not value intellectual property rights, even when they have created or improved innovative products, services, and methods. This choice, often leads to a loss of competitiveness"

In my experience as an innovation manager for companies in various sectors, working on research and development and/or digital transformation projects, I recognised how strategic it is, especially for an SME, to have intellectual property rights. However, I also observed that some entrepreneurs do not value intellectual property rights, even when they have created or improved innovative products, services and methods.
This choice, which often leads to a loss of competitiveness, motivated me to assess which intellectual property rights were both possible and useful for my company. As a result, I developed the innovative method, now patented, and the innovative platform, which I consider strategic considering new regulatory developments (AI Act, Data Act, eIDAS2, etc.) and evolving social and technological scenarios (such as smart working, e-learning, and increased worker engagement through benefits, etc.).
 

• How has being a member of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance, part of the Ideas Powered for business network, supported your business journey?

Since our first membership, the European Digital SME Alliance has focused on the potential of our company and our innovative products and services, providing us with the opportunity to showcase our value proposition and, most importantly, to highlight our uniqueness, which stems from our intellectual property rights and how they have driven our innovation and business. In fact, in May 2024, the Workers Badge/Blockchain Credentials case was included by the European Digital SME Alliance in the IPowerSMEs best practices catalogue under the ‘Intellectual Property Protection Driving Innovation‘ category.
The association also gave us the opportunity to share our IP experience in webinars, where other SMEs could learn from our case and gain different perspectives on IP valorisation. Additionally, it opened up possibilities for us to exchange value and business through the sale of services and products and/or the licensing of our intellectual property.