Financial Support for SMEs Applying for Trademarks or Designs

SMEs can apply for a 50% subsidy on the official fees of a trademark or design application in Germany or Europe in 2021. The European Commission and EUIPO support program, which comprises 20 million euros for one year, will come into effect on January 1, 2021. SMEs can first use a checklist to determine whether they are eligible for funding. If so, a request for reimbursement can be submitted before filing a European or German trademark or design application. If this request is approved, the applicant will be reimbursed 50% of the application fees within one month of filing, as long as the relevant funding is available. The funding is divided into five budgets of 4,000,000 euros each, which are available for intervals of two months from February to November 2021. The funding is limited to one application per SME.