EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office
The EUIPO is the European agency responsible for managing the EU trademark and the registered Community design, which are valid in all EU Member States.
The EUIPO and the EBN are committed to fostering a change in SMEs’ attitudes towards intellectual property (IP). Aside from financing, SMEs need support in the form of direct coaching and mentoring services to understand how to protect their innovation through IP (i.e. patents, designs, trade secrets, etc.). A key objective of the collaboration will be to offer support to SMEs by providing tools and know-how through training models, joint webinars and events.
By collaborating with the EBN, the EUIPO is expanding its collaborative network in order to reach out to SMEs and upskill them by promoting a better understanding of the importance and benefits of IP.
The below article is part of a collaboration with the EUIPO and the Ideas Powered for business network
The importance of intellectual property for European innovative entrepreneurs
[posted originally July 2025, https://ebn.eu/2025/07/23/the-importance-of-intellectual-property-for-european-innovative-entrepreneurs/]
Intellectual property (IP) refers to human creations – everything from artwork and inventions to computer programs and commercial signs. It plays a crucial role when an entrepreneur decides to innovate or launch a product or service on the market.
IP is a mechanism that allows companies to share their solutions and reach agreements with other organisations without risking unauthorised exploitation. It can also be a source of direct income through IP owners selling or licensing their IP rights, as well as providing additional business advantages, such as improving the likelihood of a startup receiving funding or investment.
The joint study on patents, trade marks and startup finance by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Patent Office found that, in seed or early growth stages, startups are 4.3 times more likely to secure subsequent venture capital funding by filing trade marks and 6.4 times more likely to secure funding by filing patents. To learn how to unlock the potential of innovation and IP, see this Ideas Powered for business Talk, created with the EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network).
Common types of IP rights
Trade marks protect the commercial identity of products and services. They have an unlimited duration provided they are renewed every 10 years.
Designs protect a product’s appearance. Protection lasts up to 25 years and must be renewed every 5 years.
Patents protect technical inventions or procedures that are capable of industrial application. Protection lasts up to 20 years with no possibility of renewal.
Copyright protects works of authorship, like books, films, music or other media. Protection is automatic (it is not necessary to register it, although it is recommended) and lasts for the author’s lifetime, plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death.
Services and tools to get started with IP
The Ideas Powered for business SME Fund is a grant scheme designed to help EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their IP rights. Through the Fund, you can receive reimbursements for IP application fees and access the services of an IP expert designated by your national IP office with IP Scan.
The EUIPO also offers free online consultations to answer your IP-related questions. [https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/discover-ip/free-ip-support]
The EUIPO and the EBN are committed to fostering a change in SMEs’ attitudes towards intellectual property (IP). Aside from financing, SMEs need support in the form of direct coaching and mentoring services to understand how to protect their innovation through IP (i.e. patents, designs, trade secrets, etc.). A key objective of the collaboration will be to offer support to SMEs by providing tools and know-how through training models, joint webinars and events.
By collaborating with the EBN, the EUIPO is expanding its collaborative network in order to reach out to SMEs and upskill them by promoting a better understanding of the importance and benefits of IP.
The below article is part of a collaboration with the EUIPO and the Ideas Powered for business network
The importance of intellectual property for European innovative entrepreneurs
[posted originally July 2025, https://ebn.eu/2025/07/23/the-importance-of-intellectual-property-for-european-innovative-entrepreneurs/]
Intellectual property (IP) refers to human creations – everything from artwork and inventions to computer programs and commercial signs. It plays a crucial role when an entrepreneur decides to innovate or launch a product or service on the market.
IP is a mechanism that allows companies to share their solutions and reach agreements with other organisations without risking unauthorised exploitation. It can also be a source of direct income through IP owners selling or licensing their IP rights, as well as providing additional business advantages, such as improving the likelihood of a startup receiving funding or investment.
The joint study on patents, trade marks and startup finance by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Patent Office found that, in seed or early growth stages, startups are 4.3 times more likely to secure subsequent venture capital funding by filing trade marks and 6.4 times more likely to secure funding by filing patents. To learn how to unlock the potential of innovation and IP, see this Ideas Powered for business Talk, created with the EBN (European Business and Innovation Centre Network).
Common types of IP rights
Trade marks protect the commercial identity of products and services. They have an unlimited duration provided they are renewed every 10 years.
Designs protect a product’s appearance. Protection lasts up to 25 years and must be renewed every 5 years.
Patents protect technical inventions or procedures that are capable of industrial application. Protection lasts up to 20 years with no possibility of renewal.
Copyright protects works of authorship, like books, films, music or other media. Protection is automatic (it is not necessary to register it, although it is recommended) and lasts for the author’s lifetime, plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death.
Services and tools to get started with IP
The Ideas Powered for business SME Fund is a grant scheme designed to help EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their IP rights. Through the Fund, you can receive reimbursements for IP application fees and access the services of an IP expert designated by your national IP office with IP Scan.
The EUIPO also offers free online consultations to answer your IP-related questions. [https://www.euipo.europa.eu/en/discover-ip/free-ip-support]
Avenida de Europa 4, Alicante, Spain