• Draft Law Partially Amending Law 17/2001 of 7 December, on Trade Marks
• Subsidies for the Promotion of Applications for Patents and Utility Models. 2017 Announcement
• Upcoming Courses on Industrial Property
• 45th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva Awards
• "Being Unique Is Not Easy" Campaign

Subsidies for the Promotion of Applications for Patents and Utility Models. 2017 Announcement.

In 2017 the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) continues to promote the use of Industrial Property among Spanish companies as a tool for gaining access to international markets. With this purpose, on 25 April 2017, the Official State Gazette published the SPTO Resolution which convenes for the year 2017, the granting of subsidies to encourage applications for Patents and Utility Models in Spain and abroad.

The two main aims of these subsidies are:

• To encourage international protection of technology by means of Patents and Utility Models, and to help improve the competitiveness of private entities that are searching for markets outside Spain.
• To promote the protection of national inventions by SMEs and individuals by means of Patents or Utility Models.

The convened subsidies are:

• Subsidies for filing applications with national offices in third countries or regions, in the framework of procedures for granting national or regional Patents or Utility Models. Among other concepts that are eligible for a subsidy, the 2017 announcement includes: application formalities, search, examination or grant reports, annual EPO fees and validation of European Patents.
• Subsidies for activities falling within the international PCT procedure (application formalities, international search or preliminary exam).
• Subsidies for applications for Spanish Patents and Utility Models (application formalities and/or search report (IET)).

Taking into account the renunciation to the announcement of 15 March, 2016, applicants who filed the corresponding subsidy application under the 2016 announcement will not need to submit a new application in this announcement. Likewise, the actions carried out in the 2016 announcement will be taken into account herein, and will not need to be carried out again. Applicants who do not wish to continue with their 2016 application must send a letter toayuda.subvenciones@oepm.esindicating that they abandon their application. The letter must be signed by the applicant or the agent who signed the 2016 application.

Activities subject to subsidy are those whose expenditure is carried out from 24 April 2015 to 30 April 2016, for the international programme. For the national programme a subsidy will be received if the application for the utility model, for the patent’s invention has been published during 2014, 2015 and 2016 until 30 April 2016, provided that no subsidy was received in previous announcements for such subsidies.