On the 11th of March 2021, the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office), in collaboration with the SLOVENIAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE, will hold an online Ideas Powered for Business seminar to discuss the most relevant intellectual property topics affecting small and medium-sized companies. It is a unique opportunity to learn from experts about the SME Fund : a 20 million Euro grant scheme for European SMEs.

The EUIPO Boards of Appeal, together with the EUIPO Academy and the International Cooperation and Legal Affairs Department of EUIPO, are organising the third IP Mediation Conference, which will be held online on 22-23 March 2021.

Improved technology heralds a new era in EUIPO communications

Every picture tells a story and the EUIPO’s is one of accessible IP registration services for EU businesses, whether large or small. This is the starting point of The IP Link, a 7-minute short film which was made with the help of over 80 EUIPO staff members.´

The Portuguese IP office (INPI) is organising a virtual high-level conference on Intellectual Property and Digital Transition, on 11 February 2021.

By effectively protecting their intellectual property, innovative companies can secure financing, grow, collaborate and create value. But how does owning intellectual property rights (IPRs) impact their performance?

The global COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted and disrupted human societies. The first months of the pandemic provoked sharp decreases in the overall demand for the EUIPO’s main products. However, a robust recovery trend in EUTM filings, beginning in June 2020 and primarily led by a significant increase in Chinese demand, has mitigated the initial COVID-19 impact on the demand for EU IP rights.

The aim of Alicante News is to provide up-to-date information on EUIPO-related matters, as well as on other general IP issues, to the users of the EU trade mark and design registration systems.

Recently, some of our users have been unable to complete their fee payments with credit/debit cards due to non-compliance with the Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements. To avoid this situation, we recommend that users contact their bank to ensure that their credit/debit cards meet the requirements to complete secure payments.  

The first application window for the new SME fund grants comes to an end on 31 January at 23.59 CET.