Bearing in mind that within the European Union there are no withholding taxes on IP royalty payments between one member state and another, we can suggest a number of countries where royalty income taxes are particularly advantageous.

CYPRUS
The intellectual property royalty tax system in Cyprus changed as a consequence of the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Action 5 report, as well as the conclusions of the Ecofin Council, published on 8 December 2015. The legislation was amended to limit the companies that can benefit from exemptions for research and development (R&D), but the tax rate in Cyprus is still one of the most favourable in the EU for foreign companies wishing to license the use of IP to a Cyprus-resident company (intermediary), where that right is then sub-licensed to the end user. Overall, the effective tax on income from IP royalties should be less than 2.5%.

IRELAND
In 2015, Ireland introduced an effective corporation tax rate of 6.25% on income derived from IP, based on an allowance for the research and development costs sustained by the company. By linking the two components in this way, Irish law encourages companies to conduct R&D directly, inside the EU — leading to the creation of IP — whereas it discourages them from buying licences without making a direct commitment to R&D.

BELGIUM
Belgium has established a tax regime that works in favour of those with income deriving from acquired copyrights. This fiscal regime can have many different applications, and can be used to protect artworks as well as providing a useful tax concession for IT developers. Revenues deriving from royalties on IP rights are taxed at 15%. These revenues are not taken into account when social security contributions are calculated. Moreover, for imports these taxes are reduced by 50% due to the application of standard entry costs. The first 15,000 euros earned by a copyright holder in a year is therefore taxed at 7.5%, and the following 15,000 at 11.25%. This tax system applies to those with a total annual income of up to 56,450 euros.

THE NETHERLANDS
Since 2010, IP revenues in the Netherlands have been taxed at just 5%. There is no income threshold, except with respect to patents. Patent holders can in fact have access to this tax system if their share of the expected income is between 30% and 70%, taking into account the total combined revenue from patents and other sources. These rates also apply to foreign companies that own intangible assets or companies that have obtained a research and development accreditation from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, if they are the holders of software IP or trade secrets. The only other limitation of this favourable tax regime is that it does not apply to marketing- and brand-related assets.

LUXEMBOURG
Generally, corporation tax in Luxembourg is 29.22%, but on revenues from IP licensing it can be as low as 5.8%. This is due to a corporate income tax exemption of 80%. Interestingly, this exemption also applies to companies that have registered a patent to be used in connection with their own activities, which then calculate a fictional net income, as if they had received the income from licensing it.

ITALY
Italy is a bigger market compared to the other countries discussed, and it can be a very attractive place for a company to invest in research and development, because since 2015 companies have been able to deduct income deriving from intellectual property from their taxable income base. The fiscal deduction was set at 30% in 2015, 40% in 2016 and 50% starting from 2017. Companies will therefore enjoy a substantial tax discount as a result of the reduction in their taxable income.

Legal translation is all about rendering translation services in the field of law. This includes translating contracts, agreements, articles of association (in case of company formation), as well as various business documents and blanks.

Legal translation is different from other forms of translation, as it relies on the utmost precision of conveying information and terminological correspondence, since incorrect translation may lead to significant legal incongruity, including law violations and lawsuits. This is the primary reason why legal translation services are provided by special business-support agencies like Confidus Solutions. Translator, with no preliminary knowledge of law-related linguistics, risks making a faulty contract translation, potentially incurring legal consequences to the business.

Business translations
Business translations can be considered a sub-type of legal translations, dealing with contracts, agreements and other legally binding documents between two parties. Business translations are related to both law and economics, because most contracts operate with terms from both of these fields. As corporate documents often include not only initial documents (articles of association, shareholder agreement, etc.), but also documents related to daily business activities, high quality business translations are a must at all times, if you want to avoid unnecessary risks and lawsuits.

Possible translation challenges may include: names of legal forms, arising from the fact that many jurisdictions recognize different legal forms, which may correspond to each other to a greater or lesser extent. A single legal form in one country may be represented by several similar forms in another. When incorporating in a foreign jurisdiction, it is crucial to indicate such differences correctly in company registration documents, as it defines the scope and the nature of corporate structure and activities.

With regard to political and civil freedoms, North Korea is 3. Citizens in North Korea experience little to no civil liberties and political rights. Citizens are not free to express themselves and do not enjoy political freedom or a representative government. Countries with this political situation are dangerous for investment, as an authoritarian government may have outsize control over economic matters. The businesses of North Korea are 5 in terms of economic liberty. Citizens in North Korea are considered not free with regards to their economic decisions. The government prohibits all economic activities by citizens, and some illegal business activities could be punishable by imprisonment or even death. Investors should avoid countries that are not free economically, as the risks do not justify any potential gain. In terms of journalistic freedom, the media of North Korea is in a 5. In North Korea, journalists face a very serious situation. Censorship dominates all publications and the government controls the majority of media outlets. Journalists that express opinions against the government may be punished with fines, imprisonment, or death.

Once the preparatory steps have been completed and all relevant decisions have been made, it is time to start registering the company. This process varies greatly by jurisdiction, so we can only provide general guidelines here.

First, contact your lawyers and start drafting the necessary documents. Most incorporation documents should be signed in front of a notary public, with signatures notarized (and apostilled if necessary). Document creation usually takes between one and five days. Also keep in mind that the initial deposits into the company's equity must be made before filing the documents with the commercial register. Banks usually open a temporary bank account solely for the purpose of depositing equity.

After all documents are created and signed, they must be filed with the local trade register. The business register examines the documents to determine whether they comply with national laws and regulations and to ensure that the proposed shareholders and directors are free from registered restrictions. Company registration usually takes between three and 14 days, depending on the country.