Maintain an i-DEPOT

The storage period for your i-DEPOT starts on the date of submission and ends after five or ten years, depending on the choice you make when submitting it. After this you can extend the storage period for periods of five years, regardless of the initial choice. You can do this as many times as you want to. This means that you can save your i-DEPOT for all time.

You will however need to repeatedly arrange the extension of the storage period on time. You will receive a notice by email two months before the storage period ends. If you have submitted your i-DEPOT in paper form (i-DEPOT envelope), you will receive notice by post. It is your own responsibility to make sure that the storage period of your i-DEPOT is extended on time. You will need to ensure that we always have your latest details so that we can contact you.

If you do not request that the storage period be extended, we will remove the i-DEPOT and the i-DEPOT certificate will be destroyed. The i-DEPOT certificate remains valid even after the i-DEPOT has been removed. The date stamp issued is proof that the content of the i-DEPOT existed at that time.

If you are planning not to extend the storage period, download the i-DEPOT certificate (PDF) before the storage period expires. You cannot request the certificate from us after expiry of the storage period.

How do I extend the storage period?

1. Log in to My BOIP;
2. Go to your 'i-DEPOT overview';
3. Click in the overview on the blue link in the i-DEPOT number that you want to renew. This takes you to the i-DEPOT file;
4. Click on the 'Extend the storage period' link on the right-hand side of the screen.

Have you fully or partially published your i-DEPOT on i-D Space and decided against extending the storage period? In that case, the publication on i-D Space will also be reversed.

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You can choose to publish an i-DEPOT in whole or in part on i-D Space. If you publish an i-DEPOT in full, the i-DEPOT certificate will also be made public, including all attached files. If you publish an i-DEPOT in part, you only make one or more attached files public. Partial disclosure is only possible for i-DEPOTs submitted from 27 September 2016.

More information about the reasons for publishing your i-DEPOT

Do you intend to claim intellectual property protection for your invention or creation at a later stage? In that case publishing your i-DEPOT could affect its novelty value and cause it to lose the protection provided by a patent or registered design. Do you have any questions about this? If so, you should contact an IP professional.

How do I publish an i-DEPOT?

1. Log in to My BOIP;
2. Click on the i-DEPOT overview;
3. Click in the overview on the blue link in the i-DEPOT number that you want to publish. This takes you to the i-DEPOT file;
4. Click on the 'Publish i-DEPOT' link on the right-hand side of the screen.

During the process, you will be asked whether you want to publish the i-DEPOT in whole or in part. If you chose partial disclosure, you can specify exactly which files you want to publish or not publish.

How can I modify published data?

1. Log in to My BOIP;
2. Click on the i-DEPOT overview;
3. Click in the overview on the blue link in the number of the i-DEPOT in which you want to modify published data. This will take you to your i-DEPOT file;
4. Click on the 'Edit published data' link on the right-hand side of the screen.

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You can remove a published i-DEPOT from the public domain at any time and, if you wish, publish it again at a later date.

How can I withdraw the publication of my i-DEPOT?

1. Log in to My BOIP;
2. Click on i-DEPOT overview;
3. Click in the overview on the blue link in the i-DEPOT number. This takes you to the i-DEPOT file;
4. Click on the 'Depublish' link on the right-hand side of the screen.

Removing an i-DEPOT from the public domain does not change the fact that it was once public. The period during which an i-DEPOT was published remains visible on i-D Space.

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You can transmit your i-DEPOT certificate (PDF) digitally to someone else, for instance if you want to entrust your i-DEPOT to a legal adviser or sell it to another organisation or person. The details on the i-DEPOT certificate cannot be altered during transmission. The i-DEPOT certificate is in fact a certified PDF. This means that if the content of the PDF is altered, it is no longer valid as proof.

How can I transmit an i-DEPOT?

To transmit an i-DEPOT, you need a transmission code. You can obtain such a code by logging into My BOIP and selecting the 'Generate transmission code' option. Once the code has been generated, you can give it to the party receiving the i-DEPOT. They must create a My BOIP account, log in and click on 'Take over i-DEPOT' option. They must then fill in a number of fields and enter the transmission code. If the transmission data is correct, the i-DEPOT transferred will appear in their i-DEPOT overview within an hour. Naturally, it will be removed from your own overview.

If you transfer an i-DEPOT to another party, you no longer have control over its content. This means that the other party may make information in the i-DEPOT public, for instance.

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You can remove an i-DEPOT certificate (in PDF) from the i-DEPOT overview.

Download the i-DEPOT certificate to your own computer before your remove the i-DEPOT. We cannot retrieve files which have been permanently deleted.

How do I delete my i-DEPOT?

1. Log in to My BOIP; 
2. Go to your i-DEPOT overview;
3. Click in the overview on the blue link in the i-DEPOT number that you want to delete. This takes you to the i-DEPOT file;
4. Click on the 'Delete i-DEPOT' link on the right-hand side of the screen.

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