On 22 September Spain's Council of Ministers, under the heading of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, authorised the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) to award a services contract for the maintenance of its information-system applications, with an estimated value of 17,873,539.08 euros, four lots, an initial term of 24 months and possible yearly extensions of up to 2 further years. The Council's reference note explains that the OEPM needs to guarantee the continued operation, updating and evolution of a broad ecosystem of applications that support both its internal work and the electronic services offered to citizens and businesses, while growing activity, interoperability with international industrial property offices and the constant addition of new functions call for specialised technical capacity.
This is not an amendment to trademark or patent law and asks nothing new of applicants, but it shows that the upgrading of OEPM electronic services is a sustained investment: since 1 July 2026 the office has run a new version of its fee self-service, warning that the old address does not guarantee correct posting of invention maintenance fees and that users entering through the electronic office are redirected automatically to the new version.
For companies that file in Spain the value of this item lies in reading the trend: the OEPM is iterating its electronic office, payment gateway and online filing tools as one system, closer data links with the EUIPO, the European Patent Office and WIPO systems can be expected over the next two to four years, and small changes to interfaces and workflows will be frequent.
J&C recommends that holders of Spanish patents, utility models or trademarks always enter through the OEPM electronic office when paying annuities and renewal fees rather than saved payment links, and keep the payment receipts; that those using local agents ask them to confirm their systems work with the office's updated electronic services; and that any changes to OEPM interfaces or workflows over the next two years be followed through the office's own notices without altering filing strategy.
Source: www.lamoncloa.gob.es | www.oepm.es
