IP for Business
Highlights
This program is designed for businesses like yours to help you manage and commercialize your intellectual property (IP). By applying, you can gain access to tools and resources that will help you protect your ideas and turn them into revenue. This program offers a comprehensive approach to IP management, ensuring you can safeguard your innovations both in Canada and abroad.
Why Apply?
- Tailored IP Strategy: Get a customized guide to develop an effective IP strategy.
- IP Protection: Learn how to identify, capture, and prove ownership of your IP.
- Commercialization Support: Discover the steps to turn your IP into a profitable asset.
Benefits to Your Business
- Enhanced IP Management: Maintain a detailed inventory of your IP rights.
- Market Opportunities: Assess and decide the best ways to bring your ideas to market.
- Infringement Prevention: Understand how to enforce your IP rights and stop infringement.
Qualifying for this program is straightforward, making it an excellent opportunity to strengthen your business's IP portfolio and maximize its potential.
Financing Details
Type of Financing: Grant
Eligible Expenses:
- Costs associated with obtaining new intellectual property rights in Canada and abroad.
- Expenses related to protecting new ideas and creations.
- Fees for maintaining a list of intellectual property.
- Costs for commercializing intellectual property, including market assessments and commercialization strategies.
Use of Funds:
- The funds can be used for:
- Filing fees for patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
- Legal fees for IP protection.
- Costs related to IP strategy development and commercialization.
- Fees for stopping intellectual property infringement.
Restrictions:
- The funds cannot be used for:
- General business expenses not related to intellectual property.
- Salaries or wages unrelated to IP activities.
- Travel expenses not directly tied to IP activities.
Fees:
- There are no application or processing fees associated with this grant program.
Qualifications
- Must be a business operating in Canada.
- Must have intellectual property (IP) to manage or commercialize.
- Must be interested in protecting IP within and outside Canada.
- Must be looking to commercialize IP assets.
Must be prepared to stop IP infringement.
Disqualifications:
- Businesses without any IP to manage or commercialize.
- Businesses not interested in protecting or commercializing their IP.
- Businesses not operating within Canada.
Description
This program offers up to $1,000,000 to help your business grow. You can use up to $500,000 of this money to buy equipment or improve your workspace. This includes:
- Commercial kitchen appliances
- Manufacturing machinery
- Computers and IT infrastructure
- Renovating a retail space
For other costs like software or operational expenses, you can receive up to $150,000.
The federal government guarantees 85% of the loan, giving you a strong safety net.
This loan program is flexible. If you've made significant purchases in the last year that fit the program guidelines, you can include them in this loan.
You have various options to pay back the loan. You can choose a variable interest rate, a fixed one, or a combination of both. You have up to 15 years to repay the loan, regardless of what you spend it on.
Program Steps
Gather Required Documentation: Prepare the necessary documents for your application. These typically include:
- Business registration or incorporation documents
- Financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement)
- Business plan
- Intellectual property inventory
- Proof of IP ownership
- Any existing IP rights documentation
Develop an IP Strategy: Create a comprehensive intellectual property strategy. This should outline how you plan to manage, protect, and commercialize your IP assets.
Complete the IP Strategy Self-Assessment Tool: Use the IP strategy self-assessment tool provided by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. This tool will help you generate a tailored guide for your IP strategy.
Submit Your Application: Fill out the application form provided by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Ensure all sections are completed accurately and attach the required documentation.
Review and Finalize: Double-check your application for completeness and accuracy. Make sure all required documents are included and properly labeled.
Submit the Application: Send your completed application and all supporting documents to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office through their designated submission process.
Follow Up: After submission, monitor your application status. Be prepared to provide any additional information or documentation if requested by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.