The Government approves the ‘Strategic Plan for Internationalisation 2014-2015'
On Friday 28 February, the Spanish Government, at the proposal of the Ministry for the Economy and Competitiveness, gave the green light to the 'Strategic Plan for the Internationalisation of the Spanish Economy 2014-2015'. This initiative includes 41 measures and 6 strategies for promoting competitiveness in the medium and long term as well as economic growth and job creation in Spain.
The Plan coordinates action by all the public organisations and tools and collaboration with the private sector in this field.
IP as a strategic tool
The promotion of Industrial Property as a strategic tool for companies and as a channel for internationalisation is covered in Section 2: ‘Improving Market Access’. This gives a set of measures designed to improve access to other markets through the negotiation of international trade agreements involving:
- Support and promotion of Intellectual and Industrial Property for internationalisation.
- Promotion of Double Taxation Agreements in countries where these are necessary.
A set of actions aims to facilitate business internationalisation through the use of tools to protect Industrial Property (patents, trademarks and industrial designs) as a strategic line of business and for improving the competitive position of Spanish companies.
The Plan also covers actions laid down in the '2012-2014 Strategy on Industrial Property for businesses and entrepreneurs' of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO), including:
- Creation of the Ibero-American platform called 'CIBEPYME' to assist SMEs in the field of Industrial Property and involving all the Ibero-American countries.
- Financial support for fees to be paid by companies for internationalising national patents and utility models (European patents and PCT)
- Signature of bilateral agreements for the sharing of search and examination results (Patent Prosecution Highway-PPH) with National Industrial Property Offices in order to prevent the duplication of efforts and facilitate the internationalisation of national patents by Spanish companies.
- Promotion of trademarks as added value, especially with a view to intensifying the pull effect of well-known trademarks with an international projection by using opinion leaders.
For further information, click here.
Presentation 'Strategic Plan for the Internationalisation of the Spanish Economy 2014-2015'.
