The outcome of intellectual effort is recognised in national and international law and conventions as an intellectual property right enabling the protection of certain intangible assets.

For Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), the effective use of intellectual property rights may enable them to compete with larger companies. Intellectual property offers SMEs possibilities in terms of legal protection, technical information and competitive advantage. Luxembourg law stipulates that the employer is the owner of the intellectual property rights originating from a company, unless otherwise agreed.

Furthermore, unless protected, the efforts invested and the results obtained by a research, development and innovation process may swiftly be imitated or copied - or even counterfeited - by competitors.

Intellectual property may take different forms. A distinction is made between:

• industrial property, which includes patents, trademarks and designs
• literary and artistic property, which includes copyright and related rights

This section provides basic information on the different intellectual property rights and explains the registration process for each one. 

An innovation that can be protected by intellectual property rights often stems from an original idea whose existence on a certain date it may one day be necessary to prove. The i-DEPOT, service offered by the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property responds to this need. 

Several services providing advice and support on the subject of intellectual property exist to guide you through the procedures.

Lastly, specific financial aids exist to support the exploitation of intellectual property rights in Luxembourg.