Austria: Financial support for applications for trademarks, designs, patents and plant varieties

 

The European Union also launched a financial assistance programme last year called the SME Fund 2023 to help EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property rights. This includes trademarks, designs, patents and plant varieties in equal measure. The SME Fund was relaunched on 22.1.2024 and will be available to small and medium-sized enterprises until 6.12.2024.

Especially in the age of digitalization, the protection of your intellectual property is indispensable. Only targeted protection is the easiest way to prevent your legitimate ideas that you offer as products or services from being copied or used without the consent of third parties.

The financial aid will be in the form of vouchers, which you will receive directly into your bank account when the support is granted. Depending on the country or region, up to 75% of applications for intellectual property rights (i.e. trademarks, designs, patents or plant varieties) are funded. The maximum amount of reimbursement per SME is EUR 1,000 for trade mark and design activities, EUR 1,500 for patents and EUR 225 for the online application for Community plant variety rights (plants).

The grant is regulated in such a way that you can apply for it again, even if you have already received funding in the past (2021, 2022 or 2023) or if it has been rejected.

Important: Before the application process can begin, you should already have a clear intellectual property protection strategy in place. We will be happy to provide you with comprehensive support. For the application, it is essential to know whether you want to protect a trademark (especially which type of trademark), a design, an invention or other, otherwise you will lose valuable time and your vouchers may expire in the meantime. In 2023, EUR 27.1 million was made available, of which EUR 25 million was for vouchers for trademarks and designs, EUR 2 million for patents and EUR 100T for plant variety rights. Contracts will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until all available funds have been exhausted.

It is worthwhile for you to think about the protection of your intellectual property for 2024 as well and to seek advice from us.

 

For further information, please contact:

Thomas Schneider, Partner

Zumtobel + Kronberger, Salzburg

e: schneider@eulaw.at

t: +43 662 624500

 

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