Luxembourg's government has for several years expressed its strong intention to solidify and expand Luxembourg as a key player in the field of Intellectual Property and ICT.

In addition to providing a favorable legal and tax framework, the Luxembourg Government approved, on 1 August 2014, the creation of the Luxembourg Institute of Intellectual Property ("IPIL"), an Economic Interest Group ("EIG") whose objective is to bring together in a coherent manner both national and international expertise on intellectual property (identification, security/protection, exploitation, legal aspects) and to make this expertise available to all interested economic and institutional players.

The Government believes that intellectual property will thus become a key element of Luxembourg's internal policy, increasing the visibility of Luxembourg as an ideal location for innovative companies. The services and support provided by Luxembourg in the field of intellectual property will also be an incentive for companies to establish in Luxembourg not only their IP rights portfolio but also all types of innovative and entrepreneurial activities.

IPIL will have the following duties:

  • coordinating the implementation of public policy and unit stakeholders;
  • developing and providing support services and support to businesses, research stakeholders, public institutions and other interested members of the public;
  • developing and providing training and promotional activities and awareness; and
  • conducting projects and studies to advise the Government.

IPIL was expected to start its activities at the beginning of January 2015. The EIG is, however, not yet operative but according to an official source it should be functioning within the next few weeks.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.