Do you want to protect your business (logos, brand, ideas, know-how, website, etc.), differentiate yourself and prevent exploitation of your rights by competitors? Do you want to be sure that you do not infringe the copyrights of third parties? Are you unsure how to do it?

This year, the IP Scan service (diagnostics of your company’s intellectual property) is here for you, for the use of which the EU again offers an interesting subsidy for small and medium-sized enterprises. You can apply starting 3 February 2025. You can then follow up by using a subsidy for the registration of a Czech or European trademark.

What is IP Scan and why should you use it?

  1. As part of IP Scan, a certified expert will review your business from an intellectual property rights perspective and help you understand what assets are appropriate to protect, how you can use your intellectual property for further growth and what to avoid. The result will be a report with recommendations directly for your business, whether you are a manufacturer, reseller, creative or someone else entirely.
  2. In the area of intellectual property, more than anywhere else, consistent prevention pays off – properly set processes will protect you from damage to your brand’s reputation, lawsuits for infringement of others’ rights, costs of forced rebranding or the loss of business opportunities.
  3. You will gain a competitive advantage and an edge in a market where the value of intellectual property is still underestimated, and you will clarify the future direction of your business.
  4. The subsidy will cover 90% of the price of the service in the Czech Republic (for the Czech Republic, a single price of EUR 900 is set and if the subsidy is applied, you will be paid EUR 810 retroactively).

How does IP Scan and the application work?

As this is a service with EU financial support, the first step is to submit a simple subsidy application. After the subsidy is approved (if the conditions are met, it is usually a formality), you will apply to the Czech Industrial Property Office (UPV) for the assignment of an expert qualified to provide the IP Scan service. Selected attorneys from our office also have the necessary certification and we can help you with the application. Once the expert has been appointed, we can get to work. To protect your information and know-how, we will enter into a confidentiality agreement. We will send you a questionnaire and, based on the answers in it and a follow-up personal interview (which can also be done online), we will analyse your business model from the perspective of intellectual property. We will identify places that deserve your attention, as well as rights or assets that can (and should) be protected. We will point out risks and opportunities and recommend protection options and a proposal for further strategy. Our findings and proposals will be processed in the form of a summary report so that they are practical for you and respect your plans. This may include a recommendation to register a trademark or domain, conclude non-disclosure agreements, modify contracts with employees or suppliers, review licenses, and more. Whether you implement the recommendations or not is entirely up to you.

Do not hesitate to use IP Scan. Subsidies can only be used until the allocated funds are exhausted. In 2024, this happened in October and this year the total amount of funds is slightly lower.

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We will be happy to provide you with more information about the entire process. If you are interested, please reach out to your contact person in our office or Veronika Chrobok.

This document is only a general statement and is not legal advice on a specific matter.