Let's Match
Find the perfect service for your idea
It’s not always easy to navigate the many options in intellectual property. Patent, trademark, or design – which one is right for my innovation? Don’t worry, we’ll do everything we can to help you find your way through the jungle of terminology. Here you’ll find a complete overview of your services and the key facts about each. So that nothing stands in the way of the perfect match.
General Information
Information Desk
Our Information Desk provides you with non-binding initial information on general topics as well as on all questions related to patents, trademarks, and designs. Upon appointment, further free consultation is also available through our technical or legal information desks.
Intended for...
Everyone with ideas.
Process
Our Customer Service Center can be reached by phone or email. In-person meetings or video calls are also available by appointment.
Contact
Call us: +43 1 534 24
Mon, Wed–Fri 9 a.m.–2 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Visit us: Dresdner Straße 87, 1200 Vienna
Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
We’ll respond within 24 hours
Cost
Free
IP Academy
The IP Academy offers seminars, webinars, workshops, and events on the topic of intellectual property – whether you’re a beginner, intermediate learner, or professional.
Aimed at…
Everyone with ideas.
How it works
Select the desired seminar or webinar on the IP Academy website and register for free. You’ll receive more information and the link to stream via email.
Cost
Free
discover.IP
At discover.IP, you’ll receive personalized advice on an IP strategy that fits you and your company.
A service in cooperation with aws (Austria Wirtschaftsservice).
Aimed at...
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Process
Submit an application at www.discoverip.at, have a consultation (in person or via video call), and receive a follow-up email with personalized tips and recommendations summarizing the discussion.
Duration
Two to three hours
Cost
Free
Buddy for Her
With the Buddy for Her service, you’ll receive personalized initial information and advice from a woman to a woman about the first steps toward your patent, trademark, or design.
Aimed at...
Women.
Process
Fill out and submit the online form on our website, and we will contact you. During a consultation, you will receive an assessment of your situation, options for action, and tips.
Cost
Free
IP Buddy
The IP Buddy service includes an initial phone consultation on general questions regarding patents, trademarks, and designs (e.g., self-research, patentability of an idea, employee inventions, technicality).
Intended for...
University and high school students.
Process
Fill out and submit the online form on our website, and we will contact you. After a consultation, you will receive an assessment of your situation, options for action, and tips.
Cost
Free
First Aid Buddy
The First Aid Buddy provides non-binding initial advice on legal matters.
Note: This service does not replace a patent attorney or lawyer. The Austrian Patent Office assumes no liability for information provided.
Intended for...
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Process
Fill out and submit the online form on our website, and we will contact you. During a consultation, you will receive an assessment of your situation, options for action, and tips.
Cost
Free
Trademark
Trademark Similarity Search
This service conducts a search that lists all trademarks already filed or registered that are identical to your trademark or potentially confusingly similar and relevant to the Austrian market, as well as registered companies with the same name.
Intended for…
Anyone who wants to register a trademark.
Process
Fill out and submit the online form on our website with information about your trademark. You will receive a search report on the identified trademarks, including details such as the owner, goods and services classes, etc., as well as individual links to the relevant registries, and a commercial register search in electronic form.
Processing time
24 hours
Kosten
€105 for five Nice Classes
An additional €25 for every ten classes or part thereof
Pre Check Trademark
As with the Trademark Similarity Search, the Pre Check Trademark service provides you with a search report on similar, older trademarks. However, you also receive a commented selection of the most problematic identical or confusingly similar older trademarks, combined with a legal assessment of your trademark’s registrability.
Intended for…
Anyone who wants to register a trademark or create a trademark concept for themselves or others.
Procedure
Fill out and submit the online form on our website with information on your trademark. You will receive a commented search report as well as an assessment of the trademark’s likely registrability, supplemented by a commercial register search in electronic form.
Processing time
Five business days
Cost
€210 for a search in five Nice classes
An additional €25 for every ten classes or part thereof
Patent
Patent.Voucher
Via the Patent.Voucher service, you’ll receive consultation and a search conducted by a team of experts from the Austrian Patent Office before filing a patent application. 80% of the costs for the patent search are covered by FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency). If filing a patent application is advisable, FFG will also cover 80% of the costs of the patent application.
A service in cooperation with FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency).
Aimed at…
Tech startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and sole proprietors from Austria.
Process
Fill out the online form, submit it, and wait for approval from FFG. Once approved, apply online for a search with the Austrian Patent Office via FFG’s e-call system. After an initial consultation regarding your situation, a second meeting will be held to discuss the search results. If filing a patent application is advisable, you can receive funding for a portion of the costs associated with a national or international patent application. Costs are settled with the FFG.
Note: If experts determine that filing an application is not advisable, not all costs will be covered.
Costs & Funding
Phase 1, Patent Search:
- Total costs: €1,710
- Funding: €1,368 (= 80%) will be reimbursed in any case
- Out-of-pocket expense: €342
Phase 2, if filing a patent application is deemed appropriate:
- Up to 80% of the costs for a national patent application, patent attorney fees, and PCT application are funded.
Maximum grant amount: €10,000.
Provisional Patent Application
By filing a provisional patent application, you secure an earlier filing date for your patent, which means nothing stands in the way of an initial pitch of the invention for the time being. Additionally, fees that would normally become due with a regular national patent application do not need to be paid until later. This gives you up to 12 months of procedural delay.
Intended for…
Anyone who wants to file a patent.
Procedure
Submit the provisional patent application online. It must contain a precise description of your invention, including all technical features necessary for its functioning. No additional technical features can be added later.
After filing, you will receive a reminder and a notice regarding the upgrade to a standard patent after three and eight months. If you do not upgrade your provisional application within twelve months of filing, it will be rejected and you will not be granted an Austrian patent. Once the upgrade is has been made, the application will be treated as a regular national patent application.
Costs
€74 for the provisional patent application
€272 for the upgrade
Invention Disclosure Search
With the Invention Disclosure Search, you receive a quick search to determine whether an invention is patentable, so that your public university or university of applied sciences can decide whether to pursue it or not.
Intended for…
public universities and universities of applied sciences.
Process
Submit an online application on our website and receive the search results. The results serve as a basis for deciding whether to pursue the invention or not.
Processing time
Up to two months
Cost
€450
Invention Check
With the Invention Check service, you’ll receive advice on whether the initial rough idea for an invention has enough potential for a patent application.
Intended for…
Anyone who would like an initial assessment of a potential invention.
Process
Upload a brief description of your invention (including a sketch, if applicable) to our website, wait for feedback from the patent examiners, and receive an assessment.
Cost
Free
Search and Written Opinion According to § 57a Patent Act
This service includes a patent search and, optionally, an assessment of an invention and the prior art.
Intended for…
Anyone who wishes to file a patent application or learn about the prior art in a specific field.
Procedure
Submit an online application on our website and receive a search report, with or without a written opinion on the patentability of the invention.
Note: For the written opinion, the claims regarding the specific technical problem must also be submitted.
Processing time
Search without an opinion: six weeks
Search with written opinion: four months
Costs & Funding
Search without written opinion: €262
Research with written opinion: €367
Supported by the SME Fund.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
On request, the Austrian Patent Office assigns DOIs for published patent applications and patent specifications. A DOI is a permanent, unique address for a digital document and remains valid even if the link to the file changes. This lets you include your patent specification in your publication list just like a journal article.
Intended for …
Universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutions – and everyone working in research.
Process
Simply send an email to our library: bibliothek(at)patentamt.at. We will then send you the application form and take care of the rest.
Cost
Free of charge
Search and Written Opinion According to § 57b Patent Act
This service includes a search (and, optionally, an assessment) of the legal validity of an existing patent.
Intended for…
Anyone who wants to know whether their own patent would withstand a challenge, or who is planning to challenge the validity of another patent.
Process
Submit an online request and receive a customized offer. This is automatically accepted upon payment of the fee. You will then receive a prior art search with or without written opinion on legal validity.
Processing time
Eight weeks on average
Costs & Funding
Starting at €1,440 (varies depending on scope)
Supported by the SME Fund.
EP Search
The EP Search is an additional search performed in conjunction with a patent application in Austria that reveals the European Patent Office’s stance on a patent application.
Intended for…
Small and medium-sized enterprises or public research institutions that wish to file a patent application in Austria.
Procedure
After filing a patent application with the Austrian Patent Office, you have two months to request the additional EP Search via the online form. You will then receive a search and examination report to submit with your patent application to the European Patent Office.
Processing time
Approx. seven months
Cost
For SMEs: €510
For public research institutions: Free
Reduced search fees are payable when filing with the European Patent Office.