Funding vouchers (deadline: Dec. 8, 2023)
EUIPO’s ‘Ideas Powered for business’ SME Funding vouchers, aimed at supporting European SMEs and protecting their intellectual property rights with a budget of €27,100,000 tis available.
The Fund offers an over-the-counter process on a first-come, first-served basis and aims to provide financial aid to EU SMEs seeking reimbursement for expenses covered by the following available Vouchers:
3 Vouchers for national and European patents with eligible expenses up to £1,500;
4 Vouchers for EU plant variety protection covering 50% of the online registration fee, totalling £450.
European SMEs can apply directly through their representative and online on the EUIPO website.
Info at https://uibm.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/operativo-dal-23-gennaio-l-edizione-2023-del-fondo-per-le-pmi-di-euipo-per-gli-incentivi-in-materia-di-proprieta-industriale
WIPO Global Awards 2023
Il WIPO Global Awards 2023 è alla ricerca di piccole e medie imprese (PMI) candidate da tutto il mondo che utilizzino in modo eccezionale l’innovazione e la creatività legate alla proprietà intellettuale (PI) per raggiungere gli obiettivi aziendali e migliorare la società.
Il WIPO Global Awards celebra le imprese e gli individui eccezionali che fanno un uso intelligente della proprietà intellettuale per la commercializzazione, apportando al contempo un contributo positivo alla società attraverso la loro innovazione e creatività.
Il concorso annuale è aperto a candidati di tutto il mondo e di tutti i settori. La fase inaugurale è iniziata con le imprese, ma sono previste altre due categorie di premi per le donne e i giovani.
Il processo di candidatura mira a individuare inventori, creatori e imprenditori che utilizzano i diritti di proprietà intellettuale (PI) per raggiungere i loro obiettivi commerciali e le cui capacità, sviluppi tecnologici e contenuti creativi contribuiscono al progresso e migliorano la vita degli altri.
I vincitori del premio sono selezionati da una giuria internazionale indipendente e diversificata, con competenze uniche in materia di proprietà intellettuale, innovazione, industrie creative, investimenti e affari.
Info : https://www.wipo.int/global-awards/en/2023/
World Intellectual Property day
Il 26 aprile 2023 è il World Intellectual Property Day.
Focus 2023 : Women and IP: accelerating innovation and creativity
Info :https://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/
THE EU UNITARY PATENT SYSTEM
The unitary patent system will be applicable from June 1, 2023 in participating member states.
17 member states will initially participate in the new system; others may join in the future. The European Patent Office and the Unified Patent Court have already arranged transitional measures to help users getting used to the new system.
The unitary patent system will offer a unified office for obtaining and enforcing patent protection in Europe. This will make both obtaining and enforcing patents much simpler, transparent, and accessible, will increase legal certainty and improve the overall competitiveness of businesses.
Initially proposed by the Commission in 2012, the Unified Patent Court Agreement entered into force provisionally on January 19, 2022.
Software protection
Although some legislations provide for the patentability of software (as an algorithm), the European legal system provides that computer programs are protected by copyright.
In Italy, Article 1 paragraph 2 of Italian Law 633/1941 specifies that “computer programs are protected as literary works.”
Since software is developed in the form of source code, it looks a bit as a set of manual instructions for the computer to function.
Thus, software protection specifically covers the source code by means of copyright protection.
Database protection
Databases must be divided in two target groups: databases with/without creative character.
- database with creative character: there are no strict rules to determine when and if the requirement of creative character is satisfied. By way of example, it may be considered a creative database one including an original choice of materials, or organized in a peculiar way.
Whenever the database is considered of creative character, it benefits in Italy from full copyright protection (70 years from the death of the author);
- database without creative character: the creator/inventor has the right to prohibit the operations of extraction or reuse of the whole or a substantial part of it. This right can last up to 15 years from the establishment of the database. This is a peculiar right, which the creator can freely and discretionally decide to enforce or not.
The discipline above refers to the database itself and not to the materials it contains, which are protected by their own independent copyright regimes.
Digital technologies for the manufacturing sector: European DREAM project call for proposals open
The call for proposals for the European DREAM project has officially opened, with the aim of financially supporting small-scale, market-oriented projects involving SMEs that consist of the integration and use of digital technologies in manufacturing production environments. DREAM’s financial support will be awarded to collaborative consortia that demonstrate how the implementation of innovative digital technologies supports the green transition of manufacturing processes, particularly with regard to the better and more efficient use of resources (energy, water, supplies, materials). In addition, the project aims to accelerate market access for new digital products and services provided by technology SMEs, applied to the manufacturing sector, strengthening innovation and growth in Europe.
The consortium must consist of at least two partners:
Partner 1 = SMEs from the digital sector
Partner 2 = private entity from the industrial sector
Applicants must be legal entities based in one of the countries participating in the Single Market Program (SMP), namely:
EU member states (including Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT));
Non-EU countries: EEA countries of the listed European Economic Area and countries associated with the COSME part of the Single Market Program.
At least one legal entity in the consortium (digital SME or end user) must be based in one of the DREAM consortium partner countries, i.e., France, Italy, Belgium or Romania.
The maximum funding per project is 30,000 euros in the form of a lump sum grant.
The call will provide financial support for two different types of actions:
prototyping: aimed at companies that have already carried out a feasibility study and need to develop a prototype, to engage in miniaturization, testing, experimentation, MVP construction, etc.
demonstration: aimed at companies that have already developed and tested a prototype, with the need to demonstrate its efficiency on a larger scale, in a real-world environment (TRL 7-8).
The technologies under the DREAM open call are digital technologies that can contribute to the sustainability challenge and process resilience:
Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Analytics
Internet of Things (IoT)
Cloud Computing
Autonomous robotics
Immersive technologies (AR/VR)
Simulation
System integration
Cybersecurity
Deadline : May 25, 2023.
https://www.mesap.it/collaborazioni/dream-digital-resilient-europe-for-advanced-manufacturing/
CLEAN TECH call for proposal
April 3, 2023 is the deadline to participate in the call of ZERO, the Italian Accelerator of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) National Accelerator Network that will support the growth of 12 startups operating in “clean technologies.”
Specifically, the call is aimed at startups active in CleanTech with great business potential and a zero-impact solution for the environment.
Proposed solutions should be in one of the following areas:
Alternative energy sources: solutions to decarbonize energy production, transportation and storage;
Circular economy and waste management: solutions to manage, valorize and recycle waste materials and transform them into new resources;
Sustainable operating systems: solutions to digitize energy, industrial and production systems while reducing environmental impact;
Sustainable and Interconnected Communities: solutions for the sustainable development of cities, infrastructure and land.
The startups will receive a “pre-seed” investment up to a maximum of 80 thousand euros and will be supported in a 5-month path focused on preparatory growth for market access and in defining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on which to generate impact.
https://www.zeroacceleratorcleantech.com
EUIPO call for proposal
The European Union Intellectual Property Office’s (EUIPO) second call for proposals has opened under the Academic Research Program, which aims to further develop links with academia to promote research in areas related to intellectual property and innovation in information technology.
Specifically, the EUIPO program is for research in economics, law, technology and management, and the 2023 call for proposals focuses on topics related to intellectual property (Lot 1) and information technology (Lot 2),
Supported projects will consist of research studies on topics related to IP and information technology.
The call is open only to academic researchers affiliated with universities or research institutes located in one of the 27 EU member states, who are eligible for the program regardless of their nationality (being EU residents in any case). Researchers can be doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers, academic staff members or any other type as long as they are active in the academic field.
The maximum duration of projects is 12 months from the signing of the grant agreement.
Total budget: 80,000 €. Deadline: May 2, 2023.
Collaboration of enterprises, Italian universities and research institutions as of 9/30/2023
The “professor’s privilege” has been eliminated, marking a departure from the previous Article 65 Italian model whereby inventors were considered the owners of their inventions. Now, ownership rights have been conferred upon the institution to which the inventor belongs. The researcher may only file a patent application independently in case of institutional inaction.
https://www.mimit.gov.it/images/stories/normativa/allegati/ALLEGATO_LINEE_GUIDA_RICERCA_2023.pdf