Recording your ideas
6
Recording your ideas Doing business succesfully starts with registration
description
i-DEPOT - Doing business successfully starts with registration.
Transcript of Recording your ideas
Recording
your ideas
Doing business succesfullystarts with registration
You are creative and regularly come up with new ideas for products and services. The i-DEPOT of the Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual Property can help you prevent others from stealing your idea before you have had an opportunity to work it out in greater detail and ensure that it is legally protected.
What is an i-DEPOT?
The i-DEPOT facility of the Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual Property is a means
of proof. You can compare it to the date stamp issued by the Tax Offi ce or on
a notarial deed. The i-DEPOT is an affordable, reliable, fast and easy method
to record the existence of your idea, format or prototype. It can be submitted
online. The i-DEPOT does not prove that your idea is original or invented and
created by you.
When could an i-DEPOT be useful?
The i-DEPOT can be useful for instance when you come into confl ict over
the authorship of an idea or creation. The fact is you do not have to register
copyright. There is no offi cial copyright register. So long as you have crea-
ted an original work that has an individual character you will have copyright
protection. In case of a confl ict you need proof to show the court that the idea
or creation was in your possession at a particular date. But then it can also be
useful to submit an i-DEPOT with a detailed description of an invention or con-
cept, before you initiate negiotiations with a potential partner. This way you can
demonstrate that the idea was allready in your possession. This can help you
prevent your potential partner from sneaking off with your idea.
The i-DEPOT is a means of proof providing you with a date stamp. It de-
monstrates that you have submitted an idea or creation at a particular date.
However, the i-DEPOT does not in itself create any intellectual property right
and therefore does not offer any protection. We recommend that you consider
protecting your creation after its design phase through trademark, design or
patent registration.
How does i-DEPOT work?
You can submit your i-DEPOT directly online. This is fast, easy and, above all,
safe. In a number of steps you will be asked to fi ll in your reference details
and add a description and/or representation of your concept or idea. Note
that the fi le (or set of fi les) you submit should not be larger than 100MB.
Once the payment has been processed, you will receive a confi rmation by
e-mail and you can download your i-DEPOT certifi cate immediately from
your secure “My i-DEPOT” environment. Your i-DEPOT certifi cate is a digital
PDF fi le with a unique number. You can use your i-DEPOT certifi cate as
evidence in the event of a legal dispute or confl ict. The certifi cate features
the offi cially recognised signature of the Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual
Property (BOIP). Every change in the description and/or attached fi les will
automatically render the i-DEPOT certifi cate invalid.
The Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual Property observes full confi dentiality with
regard to your i-DEPOT. An i-DEPOT is stored for a standard term of fi ve
years. Shortly before the end of that period you will be notifi ed and given
the opportunity to extend this period by another fi ve years.You can renew
your i-DEPOT as many times as you wish. Whether you choose to extend
the storage period of your i-DEPOT or not, this will not affect the validity of
the online i-DEPOT as a means of proof.
The i-DEPOT envelope
The i-DEPOT envelope is available in case it is impossible or undesirable for
you to record your concept or idea electronically, or to pay electronically.
An i-DEPOT envelope is stored for a standard term of fi ve or ten years.
We will send you an i-DEPOT envelope as soon as we have received the
order form and your payment. The order form can be downloaded on
www.boip.int and is also available on request from our Information Centre.
The envelope consists of two parts, in each of which you should place
an identical document describing or depicting your creation as clearly as
possible. You then return both parts of the envelope to the BOIP. You can
ask the BOIP to send you the second part as well (once only) to provide
evidence in the case of a legal dispute or confl ict.
The BOIP dates your i-DEPOT evelope upon receipt, returns one part
to your address and fi les the other in its own archives unopened. You
can ask the BOIP to send you the second part as well (once only) to
provide evidence in the case of a legal dispute or confl ict.
What does an i-DEPOT cost?
In fact, the attractive price is one of the many benefi ts of the i-DEPOT.
Online i-DEPOT i-DEPOT envelope
i-DEPOT for 5 years € 35 € 45
i-DEPOT for 10 years - € 65
i-DEPOT extension of storage period
by 5 years € 25 € 45
Reproduction on CD-ROM € 15 -
You can purchase online -DEPOTs also according to a
graduated scale of fees. To do so, you can open a credit
account at www.boip.int. This is benifi cial if you are planning
to submit i-DEPOTs on a regular basis. To open a credit
account we charge a once-only activation fee of € 350.
The tariff of the graduated scale of fees depends on the
number of credits you purchase.
Please be careful when fi lling in
your details. Any uncertainty with
regard to your identity or the con-
tents of your i-DEPOT might cause
the court to reject your i-DEPOT as
documentary evidence.
h
Online i-DEPOT via a credit accountOnce-only fee for opening a credit account € 350
20 credits € 100 (€ 5 each)
50 credits € 225 (€ 4.50 each)
100 credits € 400 (€ 4 each)
250 credits € 875 (€ 3.50 each)
500 credits € 1,250 (€ 2.50 each)
Extension of storage period by 5 years: 1 credit
One i-DEPOT costs 1 credit. For i-DEPOTs sizes in excess of 10MB you will be charged 2 credits and in
excess of 50MB 3 credits (up to a maximum of 100MB per i-DEPOT).
“Potential confl icts can be avoided
with the i-DEPOT”
‘We design and produce parts for bicycle manufacturers. We started out
with only luggage carriers and mudguards, but have since expanded our
range with dress guards, chain guards and other parts. We’re constantly
and proactively pursuing new ideas and showing them to customers.
At that stage an idea is not ready for patenting yet, but there’s the
chance that it will ‘sprout wings’: that other people will get wind of it.
An i-DEPOT enables us to point to a creation date, thereby avoiding any
potential confl ict. It can happen that we submit an i-DEPOT on the eve of
a presentation – like just last week, for two bicycle designs.’
Name: Dirk Vens
Job title: Director of Curana, www.curana.com
i-DEPOT date: several annually
Idea: Two bicycle designs, among other things
Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual Property
The Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual Property (BOIP) is the offi cial body for the registration of trademarks
and designs in the Benelux. In addition the BOIP can formally record record the existence of an idea,
concept, design, prototype and the like on a certain date. The mission of the BOIP is to ensure that all
trademarks, designs and ideas in the Benelux are registered and that entrepreneurs know where and
how they can fi nd legal protection for their intellectual property, and why that protection is important.
The aim of the BOIP is to distinguish itself as a professional provider of services in connection with the
registration of intellectual property.
Contact
Would you like to know more about i-DEPOT,
or about the registration of trademarks and
designs? Then visit our website at www.boip.int.
Alternatively, you can contact our Information
Centre. The BOIP Information Centre can be
reached by telephone on working days
between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at:
070 349 12 42 (from the Netherlands)
070 244 242 (from Belgium)
8002 5383 (from Luxemburg)
General address
Benelux Offi ce for Intellectual Property
Bordewijklaan 15
2591 XR The Hague
The Netherlands
T +31 70 349 11 11
F +31 70 347 57 08
www.boip.int
National Offi ces
FPS Economy
S.M.E.’s, Self-employed and Energy
Market Regularisation and Organisation Board
Intellectual Property Unit
North Gate III - Koning Albert II Laan 16
1000 Brussels - Belgium
T + 32 2 277 52 97
F + 32 2 277 52 77
http://economie.fgov.be/opri-die.jsp
Ministère de l’Economie et du Commerce
extérieur
Offi ce de la propriété intellectuelle
Boulevard Royal 19-21
L -2449 Luxembourg - G.D. Luxembourg
T +352 247 841 87
F +352 222 6 60
www.eco.public.lu
