Benelux Office for Intellectual Property facts for kids
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| Abbreviation | BOIP BX |
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| Formation | 25 February 2005 |
| Headquarters | The Hague, Netherlands |
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Region served
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Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg |
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Official language
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English, Dutch, French |
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Director General
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Edmond Simon |
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Budget
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€14 million (2013) |
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Staff
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92 (2013) |
| Website | Official web site: https://www.boip.int/en |
The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) is an important office for three countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It helps people and companies protect their new ideas. The BOIP is where you go to register trademarks and designs. Think of a trademark as a special name or logo for a product. A design is how something looks, like the shape of a new phone.
The BOIP is located in The Hague, Netherlands. It was created on February 25, 2005. This office took over from older offices that handled trademarks and designs separately. The BOIP is part of a bigger group called the Benelux Organisation for Intellectual Property. This group was set up by a special agreement called the Benelux Convention on Intellectual Property. This agreement started on September 1, 2006. It replaced older rules from the 1960s. The BOIP is not connected to the Benelux Union, which is a different organization.
Contents
What BOIP Does for Other Places
The BOIP mainly works for Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. But it also helps other places.
Protecting Ideas in the Caribbean Netherlands
Since October 10, 2010, the BOIP has also registered trademarks for the Caribbean Netherlands. These are special Dutch islands in the Caribbean Sea. Before this, they were part of the Netherlands Antilles. Any trademarks from the Netherlands Antilles needed to be confirmed with the BOIP by October 10, 2011. This made sure they were still valid.
Helping Sint Maarten with Intellectual Property
Since January 1, 2015, the BOIP also helps Sint Maarten. Sint Maarten is another island in the Caribbean. The BOIP acts as the "back office" for Sint Maarten's own intellectual property office. This means BOIP handles many of the behind-the-scenes tasks. Before 2015, Curaçao's trademark office did this job for Sint Maarten.
See also
- European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
External links
- Official web site: https://www.boip.int/en
