The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Miguel Sebastián, has presented Plan π, the first Strategic Promotion Plan for Industrial Property elaborated in Spain. The plan forms part of the Sustainable Economy Strategy and aims at positioning Industrial Property as a factor of innovation, competitiveness and growth for the future of the Spanish economy.

The main objectives of the Plan are as follows:

• Reduce granting procedure for all Industrial Property categories, thereby achieving a timeframe of 12 months for patents, if requested by the applicant; of 5 months for trademarks and 72 hours for designs in cases of direct granting procedure.

• Reduce fees applicable in 2009 by 18%, with a further reduction of 15% for those in cases where electronic means are used.

• Increase the annual average for trademark applications in Spain to above 1,200, and that of average patent applications from 84 to 90 per million of inhabitants.

• Obtain the participation of more than one hundred thousand companies in some of the Plan’s initiatives.

• Benefit from the 15,000 user-supporters signed up to the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office network 2.0, who will serve as an information outlet for all users of Industrial Property rights in Spain.

With these initiatives the Government aims to reduce the gap that separates Spain from more technologically advanced countries such as Japan, the United States, Germany, Korea and China. “Our weight, in terms of GDP and investment in R&D doesn’t correspond, in relative terms, with that of our patents. We need to increase our ranking among european and international patents in order to continue gaining a competitive share”, stated the Minister.

The Plan was designed along with the collaboration of companies, universities and public and professional research organisms within the Industrial Property sector, with the objective of obtaining an integrative solution. It covers all areas involving Industrial Property: industry, trade, education, research, justice and initiatives abroad.

Five central themes
The Plan, whose provisional timeframe is that of three years, encompasses five strategic themes: supporting Industrial Property; taking business international, legal protection and security against piracy; promoting technologies that respect the environment; and increasing quality and profitability in the area of business management.

With a budget of 41.5 million euros, 53 initiatives have been determined for promoting the rigorous use of instruments for protecting Industrial Property, thereby placing Spain as one of the leading countries in this area.

The Plan encompasses significant initiatives in supporting the internationalization of our companies, especially SME’s. 15 million euros will be assigned for providing technical and financial support to Spanish companies for their international invention protection policies through the use of patents.

Leaders in green patents
The Minister highlighted the role that green patents are playing in the development of clean technologies in Spain. According to the OECD, our country ranks sixth in the world in terms of issuing renewable energy patents, growing at a rate of 110% compared to that of 20% registered at the global level.

In line with the importance placed on technology related to protecting the environment and renewable energies in our country, Plan π calls for a specific initiative in this industry, Green IP, to ensure that Spanish companies use Industrial Property protection instruments for increasing their competitiveness.

Along these lines, the Minister announced the publication of two quarterly bulletins for technological follow-up, one for green patents and the other for developing electronic processing, both of which will include the latest breakthroughs in these sectors. Additionally, an accelerated procedure will be introduced for green patent applications that will allow for granting them in 12 months. Lastly, a specific line of financial support for green patents will be created.

The fight against piracy
A large part of the measures included in Plan π are targeted at the fight against piracy in the area of Industrial Property rights. In order to do so, efforts will be made to make consumers aware of the dangers that result from these types of illegal activities, not only in terms of the high costs they have in lost jobs and business activity, but also their affects on health, organized crime and human exploitation.

Another example of the Government’s fight against piracy is taking place under the spanish presidency. On March 1, the Competitiveness Council of European Ministers passed a resolution on the protection of Industrial Property rights in the internal market.

As an official state organism specializing in Industrial Property material, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) is responsible for carrying out initiatives assigned to it by Plan π, with the objective of definitively incorporating Industrial Property into the spanish economy. Its initiatives will be aimed at consolidating the transition of the spanish Industrial Property system into the 21st century by supporting productive industries, namely those of SME’s.

For more information: www.planpi.es

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