The beginning of the year is a time for implementing new plans and projects. In 2025, companies that value protection of their intellectual property rights should also ensure that new applications are made and the existing rights are properly protected. At the same time, they must not forget to stay alert, as the number of fraud attempts by scammers impersonating national and EU offices is growing rapidly.
IP protection funding support
2024 was marked by significant EU support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which, thanks to the continuation of the SME Fund program, including the IP SCAN service, had a chance to among other things significantly strengthen their IP rights protection.
Let’s keep in mind that the EU SME Fund program, which provided subsidies for the protection of IP rights, was very popular, as the available funds had all been used two months before the deadline. Companies from Poland were ranked 2nd in the entire EU in terms of the number of applications submitted for such subsidies.
And from February 3, it will be possible to submit applications for grants for intellectual property protection under this year’s edition of the program.
However, those making applications for the protection of their marks and designs must stay alert, and the possibility of obtaining support should not blind them to the simple principle of limited trust. Unfortunately, cases of fraud attempts by scammers impersonating national and EU offices are on the rise.
Fake letters are being sent on a large scale, with such letters looking more and more alike official letters, containing data of specialists actually employed in a particular institution, with the sole detail indicating a fraud attempt being the wrong currency or the wrong account number for the transfer.
If you receive such a request, it is therefore worthwhile contacting a professional attorney. This will help you avoid potential losses, which can be very severe, running into tens of thousands of zlotys.
Do not delay with obtaining IP protection
According to current EUIPO data, the number of trademark oppositions, annulments and revocation proceedings is growing every year.
This means that there is an increasing number of disputes where a given entrepreneur’s mark is infringed by another entrepreneur by filing an application for a similar or identical mark, or worse, by a prior registration of a mark originally owned by another entity. In any of these situations, rights should be asserted as soon as such infringement is detected.
EUIPO statistics are also confirmed by our observations.
Indeed, recent years have seen an increase in the number of disputes, especially claims for annulment of already registered rights and trademarks. These most often occur as a result of “hostile” registration of marks by distributors selling the product of an entrepreneur or manufacturer and wishing to usurp their place in the market.
How to ensure effective protection against such a situation?
Above all – don’t delay. First, do not delay in identifying your own rights, such as trademarks or industrial designs, and second, in obtaining protection for your intellectual property rights.
Any kind of commercial activity, specially manufacturing and distribution, without well thought-out IP protection tactics may end up in a dispute over private label protection.
Let’s also recall what we stated at the very beginning. There are programs that support entrepreneurs in obtaining protection for trademarks, designs or patents, which also assist in terms of co-financing the costs of such a process. Practice and business confirm that it is worth taking advantage of them.
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