Affordable European IP rights
Breaking barriers to innovation
At the heart of innovation is the freedom to create and protect new ideas. We believe that financial barriers should never stand in the way of progress, especially for small businesses and individual inventors. This is why we are committed to helping innovators safeguard their intellectual property by offering affordable patent solutions. Inspired by the European Patent Office’s (EPO) initiative to reduce fees for micro-entities, we are extending our support to ensure that the right to protect one’s innovation is accessible to all, particularly to those with limited resources.
Our offer is designed for micro-entities as defined by the EPO Regulation. If you qualify for the EPO’s micro-entity fee reductions*, you’re eligible for our support, as well. This includes microenterprises (fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of under €2 million), individual inventors, non-profit organizations, universities, and public research institutions. Whether you’re a first-time filer or a seasoned inventor who considers Europe as a restricted territory, we’re here to ensure that your innovations are protected without breaking the bank.
* EPO micro-entity fee reduction is available for applicants having filed less than five European patent applications or Euro-PCT applications within a period of five years preceding the date of filing or the date of entry into the EP-phase.
Who Can Benefit?
What “affordable” really means?
We understand that the initial burden of filing for a patent can feel overwhelming, especially if this is your first application. Patent costs can increase over time, particularly as the number of office actions and procedural steps grow, and while you may know the cost of individual actions, the total expenses can often be difficult to anticipate. That’s why we’ve structured our services to make the process as predictable as possible from the start. For a typical European patent application, the journey from filing to grant can take between 3-5 years, and costs can go as up as 15-20,000 Euro or more. With our program and the reduction of the fees offered by the EPO, we’re able to offer a notably more affordable path.
European patents with unitary effect in the participating member states of the European Union (so-called Unitary Patents) provide an efficient and cost-effective way to safeguard your innovation (currently) across 18 countries through a single application. This eliminates the need for multiple national validation proceedings, cutting down on administrative work and reducing costs significantly, especially since translations are no longer needed. With the Unitary Patent, you receive broad protection across key European markets at a very competitive price.
Beyond the 18 Unitary Patent states, you can still validate your patent in the remaining European Patent Convention (EPC) countries. This gives you the flexibility to extend protection even further if needed. By combining the Unitary Patent with selective validations in other countries, you can cover all strategic markets without the cost and complexity of validating in each country individually.
Currently, the countries part of the Unitary Patent system starting September 2024 are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden.
Maximize Protection with the Unitary Patent in Europe
***No Hidden Costs, No Surprises
We believe in transparency, which is why our offer includes clear, upfront details without any hidden fees or surprises.
Our offer also accounts for attorney fees for preparing the response to the European search report and additional responses to official communications from the office, giving you a clear view of the costs up to grant of the patent.
We want to ensure that you are fully informed about potential costs from the start, so you can make educated decisions as you move through the patent process. Our goal is to provide a straightforward, informed and affordable path to protect your innovation.
Do you want to find out more? Send as an email with the details of a case to office@ipgrid.eu and we will reply as soon as possible.