The aim of these articles is to keep our Clients and Associates updated about developments in the sector of Intellectual Property in general and our firm in particular. In this way, we wish to provide a broader view of the tools that the field of trade marks, domain names, patents, designs and related rights offers to entrepreneurs to enhance and protect their efforts in researching and developing new solutions and ideas.
SME Fund – Voucher 3 (Patents) is Now Closed
The SME Fund established by the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for the year 2024 offers European and Ukrainian small and medium enterprises the opportunity to benefit from cost reductions in several fields of Intellectual Property and is articulated in four parts.
The third part, the so-called Voucher 3 for patent-related activities, including patent searches and patent fees for national patent protection as well as for European patent applications, was closed on 10 June 2024 for exhaustion of funds allocated thereto.
The remaining three parts (Vouchers) are still in place, namely
- Voucher 1 concerning IP scan services aimed at assisting SMEs in identifying their most valuable IP assets that are worth to be protected,
- Voucher 2 for protecting trademarks and designs at national, regional and EU levels, and
- Voucher 4 for protecting plant varieties in the EU, i.e. before the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO).
Italy does not offer services related to Voucher 1, but our patent and trademark attorneys would be happy to assist you in navigating the procedure for obtaining Vouchers 2 and 4 and using them to obtain protection before the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, the EPO, the EUIPO and the CPVO.