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Protect your trade marks and designs in the European Union

Protect your intellectual property in the European Union

Help businesses with
your IP expertise

This is a powerful opportunity for you to support SMEs during this crisis, significantly contribute to optimising the understanding and use of IP by SMEs and at the same time, help to better understand what the needs of SMEs are.

Like to sign up as a pro bono provider or interested to find out more? Please see the Call for expression of interests, how it works and the application form below.

Important note: please read the Call for Expressions of Interest (CEI), to Provide Intellectual Property (IP) Pro Bono Services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

a) Declaration of honour for those who meet the eligibility requirements:

The undersigned

Only for natural persons Only for legal persons

National ID or passport number: (‘the person’)

Full official name Official legal form Statutory registration number (if applicable) (‘the person’)

b) Participation form

Please select the kind of IP support that you are allowed and willing to offer SMEs under a pro bono scheme according to your applicable national law

You can select more than one item

³ The IP Pro Bono services should not be confused with the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. The EUIPO is offering a special COVID-19 non-legal service to enable SMEs to take an informed decision on which dispute resolution mechanisms to select for settling any disputes before the EUIPO. This special non-legal service is called ADR and can be requested by an SME in the following EUIPO proceedings: opposition proceedings (after the cooling-off period) for unrepresented SMEs; cancellation proceedings; invalidity proceedings; appeal proceedings. The ADR is outside the scope of the present IP Pro Bono initiative.
The function of the ADR for SMEs service is to inform SMEs about the following settlement mechanisms available either at the EUIPO or elsewhere: mediation, conciliation, assisted negotiation, early neutral evaluation, and (non-binding) expert determination. For any questions on ADR, send an email to ADR-Info@euipo.europa.eu. One of the possible outcomes of the ADR for SMEs is that the SME is advised to revert to the IP Pro Bono service or to seek legal advice.
The IP Pro Bono services can nevertheless include professional representation of SMEs in any of the abovementioned settlement mechanisms and can also include advising on possible settlement mechanisms during the cooling-off period (in opposition proceedings) and where the parties are represented.

Please select IP specialisation*

You can select more than one item

Please select the language(s) in which you can offer IP pro bono services?*

You can select more than one item

Please select where you/your company is/are based*

Please select the geographical scope of the IP pro bono service*

You can select more than one item

Please indicate the number of hours of pro bono work you are willing to offer to each enterprise (SME)*

Up to which size SME would you like to offer pro bono services?*

You can select more than one item

Up to which annual (financial year 2019) company turnover would you like to offer pro bono services to SMEs?*

You can select more than one item

How many pro bono services per annual quarter are you able to provide?*

Contact details:

First name (contact person)*
Surname (contact person)*
Email (contact person)*
Phone number (contact person)*: country code + number
Work number (if applicable): country code + number
Company name (if applicable)
Website

I hereby confirm that I have read and accept the terms of service (please see the Call for expression of interest)

I confirm that the information given in this form is true, accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge and that it is supplied in good faith. I am solely responsible for any error, omission or false statement and for the information submitted in this form and I undertake that the EUIPO can in no way be regarded as responsible for this. Should there be any change in the information provided, I am responsible for informing the EUIPO promptly. I understand and accept that the EUIPO cannot be held liable for any loss or damage caused by the pro bono provider. Similarly, I undertake that the EUIPO cannot be held liable for any damage caused by the service provider to third parties, during or as a consequence of performance of the pro bono service. I am aware that I may be subject to exclusion from the IP pro bono initiative if any of the declarations or information provided as a condition for participating in this procedure proves to be false or incorrect.

I acknowledge that inclusion in the IP pro bono providers list does not imply any EUIPO quality recognition or certification.

The information contained in this website should not be considered advertising for legal services under the laws and rules of professional conduct of any of the EU/EEA Member States.

I agree to offer IP pro bono services free of charge as defined in the call for expressions of interest and in the terms provided in this form. Once the SME has received the pro bono service, it is its sole responsibility to request and negotiate any further remunerated services directly with the pro bono provider. (See the definition of SME based on Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC).

I accept being contacted for information and client satisfaction purposes.

I accept having the anonymised results and details of the feedback received published.

I agree to my name and surname, or where applicable, my law firm’s name, being published in the list of pro bono providers on the EUIPO’s websites in order to inform users about the list of pro bono providers participating in this initiative. This consent does not create any obligation on the EUIPO to retain the data on its website.

Please note that once this form is validated/submitted all data contained in it will be managed according to the terms contained in the privacy statement on the processing of personal data.

Page last updated 16-06-2020

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