Grants for the IP Scan service and trademarks are back! You can apply from 2 February 2026.

It is no surprise that the Czech Republic consistently ranks among the leaders in drawing on the IP Scan grant. It is a valuable service and one that entrepreneurs genuinely need. After all, who wouldn't want cost-effective advice from a certified attorney? And support for registering trademarks? That is undoubtedly a great opportunity for entrepreneurs.

Gain a strategic advantage and protect your IP. With the IP Scan service we scan your intellectual property, and you will also learn what role artificial intelligence (AI) and AI compliance play in your intellectual property and what strategy to set in this area (and beyond).

A small or medium-sized enterprise, i.e. a company or a self-employed person that has:

• no more than 250 employees,
• an annual turnover of up to EUR 50 million,
• and an annual balance sheet total of up to EUR 43 million.

If you are a "subsidiary" or have another more complex structure, we will check that the conditions are met together.

IP Scan is a comprehensive service designed to reveal and optimise the intangible assets of your business. This service is specially designed for small and medium-sized enterprises that may not yet be fully exploiting the potential of their intellectual property. The service is provided by a certified lawyer.

For small and medium-sized enterprises, the Scan offers an affordable way to:

• Obtain a 90% grant towards a legal review of intellectual property: For 2026 the service is subsidised up to 90% from an EU fund. The total price is EUR 1,400 (excl. VAT). If you have the service performed by a certified expert (for example, by us), EUR 1,260 of this amount is reimbursed from the programme. Your small investment (worth one hour at an attorney's rate) covers the initial consultation, the scan itself, and the preparation of a final report with individual recommendations.

• Identify unused or hidden IP assets: Entrepreneurs have discovered that a valuable part of their business is not only the company name and copyright, but also, for example, know-how or databases... Trademarks are also essential for protection. The outputs of artificial intelligence also play a role in identifying rights.

• Develop a strategy for protecting and using IP: You receive strategic advice on how to protect your assets and use them effectively to support the growth of your business.

• Prevent future legal disputes: Identifying and protecting your intellectual property in good time can help avoid potential conflicts with competitors, and you will find out whether you are infringing the IP rights of other holders. This helps you avoid unpleasantly long and costly court proceedings.

At Preegal advokátní kancelář s.r.o. we are certified experts in IP Scan and specialise in the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. We have many years of experience in legal advice in the field of intellectual property.

We offer a personal, individual approach - this is not form-based, off-the-shelf work.

"So IP isn't just an internet protocol? Until recently, from the perspective of an "IT guy", it was unimaginable to me that IP could be something other than just IPv4 and IPv6. And as sometimes happens in business, I had to make a mess of things before I got to know IP - Intellectual Property. This abbreviation is also very important for the IT world, because pretty much every one of us should protect their intellectual property and stay unique.
From a cybersecurity standpoint, this IP is often a target of attacks, because for hackers it is valuable to obtain confidential information and use it for blackmail and resale. And because of that, IP requires robust information security (greetings here to encryption, protocols and access rights). And last but not least, we definitely want to use software in compliance with its licences, because the fines really aren't much fun.

Pavla Nečasová very kindly helped me define my IP and gave me very valuable advice and information. So when the time comes that you too need to deal with your intellectual property, copyright and licence terms, you already know where to turn. With the label: Recommended."

• Protection through registration of a patent, utility model and trademark.

• Securing the protection of know-how and trade secrets vis-à-vis employees and collaborating persons (developers, consultants, etc.).
• Contractual protection of one's business vis-à-vis clients who, as part of the collaboration, bring the copyright of other creators into the relationship (e.g. in marketing, tattooing, woodworking).
• Detection of copyright and the way to protect it.
• Entering into contracts with models, clarifying licences and concluding licence agreements (both exclusive and non-exclusive).
• Contractual arrangement of rights and obligations in joint creative activity (e.g. in the business of production studios and podcast creation).
• Assessing the choice of type of collaboration (self-employment or work agreement) also with regard to the exercise of copyright,
• Discovery of infringement of other authors' copyright - remedial action recommended.

The software developer did not "own" (in legal terms, did not "exercise") the economic copyright to all parts of the software. We recommended that it subsequently conclude an exclusive licence to the source code and the graphical interface with the developers who were not its employees.

Why is this a problem?

In principle, the developers could continue to use the source code without our client's consent. The client did not "own" its important product. In the event of a sale of the company or the entry of an investor, this would reduce the value of the business.

The client's website was so old that he couldn't remember where he had obtained some of the photographs. The photographs were sometimes sent to him by his clients, with whom he had organised various trips and tours.

However, they had sent him the photographs only "to show off", not with the option of commercial use (they gave him no licence or consent to such use).

Why is this a problem?

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. If the author came forward, they could claim twice the usual licence fee and reimbursement of legal representation costs. Following our recommendation, the client replaced the photographs.

Ideally, we will arrange the grant for you. As soon as you know that you will receive the grant (!), we will contact the Industrial Property Office, which will assign you a certified expert; we will invoice you the total price of the service, which will then be reimbursed from the Fund. Our cooperation will involve:

• We will conclude an NDA together to protect your know-how.
• We will obtain information about your business from a basic questionnaire, which we then work with.
• We will introduce you to the options for protecting IP rights. We will determine your business priorities - we will either tailor the output to your needs or map out your entire business.
• We will evaluate all the information obtained and propose a strategy.
• You will receive our recommendations for the effective protection of IP rights and an estimate of the costs of any registrations of industrial property rights.

The quality of the service provided is overseen by the Industrial Property Office, to which we send a report.

The grant is EUR 700, which is excellent.

Depending on the type of trademark, it covers:

• a refund of 75% of the costs of national, EU and regional fees for trademarks and industrial designs (application, classes, examination, registration, publication),
• a refund of 50% of the costs of international fees for trademarks and industrial designs (fees for designated countries).

As an aside, we will just mention that other grants are also available, namely for design, patents, industrial designs and Community plant variety rights. If you would like more information, get in touch with us.

IP Scan and trademarks are, however, key for entrepreneurs who want to maximise the value of their business. This service helps reveal and protect your intangible assets while providing you with strategic advice. Take advantage of the service as soon as possible, as the overall grant budget may run out before the end of the calendar year - which is exactly what happened in previous years.

If you want to learn more about how IP Scan and trademarks can strengthen your business, get in touch with us.