i-DEPOT

Your precious idea
A good idea can be of inestimable value. That is why you would do well to protect it. The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property makes it possible to do this quickly with the i-DEPOT.

Register your idea
An idea, invention or concept virtually always precedes the actual development of a product or service. A product or service may be protected by the exclusive right to a trademark, patent or copyright. It is important for the inventor to register the concept as early as in the idea stage. The i-DEPOT of the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) makes it possible for you to prove that your creation already existed on a certain date.

Fast, inexpensive and reliable
The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property makes it very easy for people to register an idea on its website www.boip.int. Online-registration is fast, inexpensive and secure. The coded storage protects the security the i-DEPOT content. The i-DEPOT certificate is digitally signed by the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property. This guarantees the authenticity of the document.

Legal evidence
In the event of somebody claiming to be the originator of your creation or idea, the i-DEPOT can help you prove otherwise. That leaves you free to continue to develop your idea at a time of your choosing and without any worries. But the i-DEPOT does not create an intellectual property right. It therefore remains necessary to arrange legal protection after the design phase. Consult an expert! A trademark, model or patent attorney or a specialised lawyer will be able to tell you more about the alternatives for protection. The i-DEPOT certificate has been officially ratified in the Benelux Convention on Intellectual Property and is in conformity with the European Directive on electronic signatures. Courts in the EU accept this document as evidence.

Broad target group
There has been a huge rise in the number of ideas registered in the i-DEPOT in recent years. The broad and varied user group consists of inventors, research and development departments, designers, trademark and patent attorneys, schools, universities, the SME sector, public authorities, private citizens and research centres. The i-DEPOT is an ideal solution for people working innovatively and creatively on the development of ideas, inventions, models or concepts.

Ideas market
As well as the i-DEPOT, the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) plans to open an online ideas market in the future. Inventors will be able to deposit their ideas here in order to find a partner or financier to help them give shape to their ideas. That way the BOIP creates a supply and demand market for ideas.