Grants for trademark registration are available through the Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund. The program supports European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for which the costs of trademark registration are too high. Who can benefit from grants for trademark registration? What is the amount of funding? How to apply for the grant? What is the deadline for submitting an application? We provide answers to these questions in this article.
Table of Contents
- Grants for trademark registration – Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund
- Grants for trademark registration – who can benefit from it?
- Grants for trademark registration – what is the amount?
- Grants for trademark registration – what is the deadline for submitting the application?
- Grants for trademark registration – who can submit an application?
- Grants for trademark registration – what documents are required?
- Grants for trademark registration – what is the application procedure?
- Grant for trademark registration – how is it paid?
- Summary
Grants for trademark registration – Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund
Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund is a grant program. The European Commission initiated it. It was implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The program aims to protect intellectual property rights. It is addressed to European small and medium-sized enterprises.
Grants for trademark registration – who can benefit from it?
The Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund offers support to companies in the SME sector based in the European Union.
SME category refers to enterprises that:
- employ less than 250 employees,
- have an annual turnover not exceeding 50 000 000 EUR
- have a total annual balance sheet not exceeding 43 000 000 EUR.
A micro-enterprise is a company that employs fewer than 10 employees. At that same time, its annual turnover and/or total annual balance sheet do not exceed 2 000 000 EUR.
A small enterprise is a company that employs fewer than 50 employees. Its annual turnover and/or total annual balance sheet does not exceed 10 000 000 EUR.
A medium-sized enterprise is a company that employs fewer than 250 employees. At the same time, its annual turnover does not exceed 50 million EUR or its total annual balance sheet doesn’t exceed 43 000 000 EUR.
The following entities can benefit from funding for the registration of a trademark:
- natural persons conducting business
- civil partnerships
- commercial law companies (e.g. general partnership, LLP, limited partnership, limited joint-stock partnership, joint stock company, LLC, simple joint-stock company)
if they fulfil the abovementioned conditions.
Grants for trademark registration – what is the amount?
The current edition of the Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund includes activities to assist applicants in implementing intellectual property asset strategies.
For trademarks, the following levels of protection are distinguished:
- National and regional level. One must register for this type of protection directly at the national intellectual property office.
- European Union level. One must register for this type of protection through the EUIPO.
- International level. One must submit an application for this type of protection to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The choice of protection level depends on the adopted business strategy. It also relates to the company’s development plans.
Applicants have the opportunity to receive:
- 75% refund of fees for national and regional trademarks,
- 75% refund of fees for EU trademarks,
- 50% refund of fees for trademarks outside the European Union.
The maximum funding limit for trademark registration is 1000 EUR.
Grants for trademark registration – what is the deadline for submitting the application?
The Ideas Powered for Business SME Fund has been operating since 23 January 2023. The deadline for submitting grant applications is 8 December 2023. Due to limited funds, grants are awarded in the order of receiving applications.
Grants for trademark registration – who can submit an application?
The following entities can submit an application for a trademark registration grant:
- Business owners
- Authorized employees of the enterprise
- Authorized external representatives, such as patent attorneys.
Grants for trademark registration – what documents are required?
The application for trademark registration grant must include:
- Bank account statement of the applying enterprise. It should contain the following information: business name as the account holder, full IBAN number with country code, and BIC/SWIFT code.
- VAT certificate or a certificate confirming the national registration number. The certificate is issued to the business by the relevant national authority.
If an external entity represents the SME, you must include the representative’s declaration in the application.
You must submit the abovementioned documents in PDF format. Each document must be readable and cannot be password-protected.
Grants for trademark registration – what is the application procedure?
The application procedure for trademark registration grants consists of 4 steps. It is important to follow the correct sequence of actions and meet the deadlines.
- Submitting the application for a grant:
- Create a fund account for SME.
- Prepare the aforementioned documents.
- Fill out and submit the application form.
2. Receiving funding and grant:
Once the grant and voucher are received (within 15 working days), activate them by submitting a cost reimbursement request. This must be done within 2 months. In certain cases, the deadline can be extended by additional 2 months.
3. Submitting the application and paying for intellectual property-related actions.
4. Obtaining cost reimbursement
After submitting the application and paying for the actions, fill out and send the cost reimbursement form. This will activate the voucher and initiate the implementation period. In the case of trademark vouchers, it amounts to 6 months.
Grant for trademark registration – how is it paid?
Funding for trademark registration is awarded to SMEs. EUIPO transfers the reimbursed costs directly to the SME’s bank account. It is done within 1 month.
Summary
Funding for trademark registration is granted to small and medium-sized enterprises located within the European Union. The grant’s amount for the current year is 1000 EUR, and the application period runs until 8 December 2023. Remember that the funds are limited. The grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
We provide assistance with trademark registration, offering both legal advice and support in collecting the required documents. Contact us for more information.
