3I Vouchers, Marks+ and Designs+. Measures already introduced to support innovative startups and economic exploitation of industrial property rights are finally operational. The facilities in detail to follow.
3I Voucher
‘Voucher 3I – Investing in Innovation,’ as we have seen, was launched in the Growth Decree with a total allocation of €19.5 million for the three-year period 2019-2021.
The measure, aimed at innovative startups, finances the purchase of patent consulting services:
– verification of patentability of the invention, and prior art searches (maximum amount € 2,000 + VAT),
– drafting of the patent application and its filing with the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, UIBM (up to 4,000 euros + VAT),
– foreign filing of the national patent application, including drafting of the application and filing with the foreign office(s) of interest (maximum amount € 6,000 + VAT).
The consulting services listed above can be provided by industrial property consultants or lawyers registered in the appropriate lists (prepared by the Industrial Property Consultants Association and the National Bar Council, respectively.
Applications can be submitted starting 6/15/20, exclusively electronically, to Invitalia. With specification of the type of service required and the provider identified for its delivery, whose acceptance of assignment is attached. Applications are evaluated in chronological order of receipt until resources are exhausted.
The time frame for handling the procedure is defined as 30 days from the notification of the application, for preliminary verification of requirements (by Invitalia), followed by 120 days for full service delivery (by the provider).
Providers of consulting services invoice Invitalia directly, which reimburses the voucher upon receipt of a final report countersigned by the startup.
Marks+
Additional incentives for the economic exploitation of various intellectual property assets are subject to the following terms.
Marks+3. As of 10.6.20, SMEs can submit new applications to access the measure that finances, within certain limits, the purchase of specialized services for the registration of EU (at the European Union Intellectual Property Office, EUIPO) and international (at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) trademarks.
Applications can be submitted to Unioncamere–starting at 9 a.m. on 10.6.20–through an online form (available at www.marchipiu3.it). E and until available resources are exhausted. Read more at https://uibm.mise.gov.it/images/documenti/Marchi3.pdf.
Drawings+
Drawings+4. The measure dedicated to SMEs, for the exploitation and economic exploitation of industrial designs nationally and internationally, is also about to reopen. Facilities are aimed at the purchase of external specialized services with the purpose of fostering:
– The production of new products related to a registered design (stage 1, production),
– The commercialization of a registered design (phase 2, commercialization).
Applications can be submitted, through the online form available at www.disegnipiu4.it, from 9 a.m. on 27.5.20 and until the available resources (€ 13 million) are exhausted. Read more at https://uibm.mise.gov.it/images/documenti/Disegni4.pdf.
In contrast, the budget to cover the Patents+ measure (21.8 million euros) has already been exhausted.
Dario Dongo and Selena Travaglio
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Lawyer, specializing in intellectual property rights. LL.M. in agri-food law.
