The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
United Kingdom stopped being an EU member on January 31, 2020.
To open in a new tab, click: What are the current members of the European Union?
Is your trademark going to be valid in the UK if you filed it in the EU?
The UK left the European Union on 1 February 2020. Any existing registered EU trademarks will continue to be valid in the remaining member states of the EU and will automatically be cloned into a comparable UK registered trademark, without any additional costs, on 1 January 2021.
All priority and seniority claims will be inherited in the UK registrations. UKIPO will not issue registration certificates and will not contact trademark owners or their representatives. The cloned UK registration number will be composed of the Prefix UK009 and the last 8 digits of the existing EU registration number. No action is required on your part.
If you already have a registered UK trademark and registered EU trademark, you will end up with 2 UK registrations, one of which later simply does not have to be renewed.
If your pending EU trademark has not registered on December 31, 2020, it will not be cloned in the UK and won't be valid in the UK later.
To open in a new tab, click: Brexit and cloning of EU registrations
EU Trademark registration process
Step 1: Search
Prior to filing a trademark search should be done. It can be ordered online on our website.
Please contact us with your trademark and a list of goods and/or services of interest and we will do a free trademark search for you.
Step 2: Filing your application
In order to file your EU trademark application, we need:
- Trademark name
- A picture of your trademark logo (.jpg image is preferable);
- Applicant’s name and address (this may be an individual, two individual or a legal entity, such as a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) or a company);
- A list of the goods and/or services in relation to which your trademark mark is used or intended to be used. Don’t worry about sending an exact list. A description in your own words is enough.
If your application claims priority from a corresponding foreign trademark application, please provide the filing date, application number, and country of first filing.
Your trademark will be submitted electronically after you approve it.
We'll get confirmation of the filed application and filing receipt immediately. It will confirm the filing date and an application number.
Step 3: Examination
Your EU trademark application will be reviewed within a month, if we filed your trademark application via Fast-Track.
Your application is examined on the following grounds:
EUIPO perform relative examination, which includes the formalities examination and the examination as to absolute grounds for refusal, especially classification and descriptiveness.
- Formalities examination - The examiner will check to make sure that the application was filed correctly and that the list of goods/services was correct. The Examiner may also ask additional questions, like asking to re-specify the goods/services if they were not clear. and
- Absolute grounds - the Examiner determines whether the trademark is descriptive or non-distinctive. Please note that EUIPO will not examine check for earlier filed trademarks that may be considered confusingly similar to your mark (trademarks already filed and registered).
If an examination objection is raised, the Examiner will set a period for the applicant to respond.
Step 4: Publication
Once the examination stage is completed, the application will be published for opposition. Within a three-month period, third parties have an opportunity to file an opposition based upon prior registered or unregistered rights.
The most common ground for an opposition is confusion with a prior filed or registered trademark.
Some other grounds are descriptiveness and bad faith.
About 5% of all applications are opposed and many oppositions result in a settlement.
A "cooling off" period may also be obtained. Cooling off period provides an opportunity for parties to negotiate and hopefully settle.
Step 5: Registration
One week after the end of the publication period, the EUIPO will issue an electronic registration certificate. There is no paper registration certificate.
The registration certificate confirms the registration details and registration dates.
Once the EU trademark application has registered you may use the ® symbol with the use of your mark in the EU to indicate that your trademark is now registered. Please do not use ® symbol before registration.
You may also wish to use the following notice: "[YOUR TRADE MARK] is a Registered EU Trade Mark of [PROPRIETOR]". This alerts others to your rights and can act as a deterrent.
Next step: Renewal
A EU trademark registration can last indefinitely, but it has to be renewed every 10 years. You should also preserve evidence of your use of your trademark. Please note that your trademark must be put to "genuine use in the European Community" within five years of registration. If the trademark has not been used, without a very good reason, for five years or more, then the registration may be cancelled.
To open in a new tab, click: EU Trademark registration procedure
A Power of Attorney, POA in short, is a legal document that authorizes an entity to represent or act for another person, usually, in the managing of the person’s property, business or private affairs. The former is called the Attorney or Agent whereas the latter is commonly known as the Principal.
In Trademarks, a Power of Attorney is required to appoint an Attorney on your file so he/she can represent you before the respective Trademarks Office.
Having said that, in many countries including the US, UK, Europe, Canada and Australia you don’t need to sign a POA for a standard trademark application (power of attorney is already implied when you entrusted your attorney/agent trademark registration). However, there are countries, such as, China, Mexico, Russia and India where a POA signed by the owner or any other person legally bound to the owner is required in order to file a trademark application.
In the US, when an applicant wishes to replace its existing attorney and appoint a new attorney, it needs to sign a Power of Attorney authorizing the new attorney to prosecute the trademark application.
To open in a new tab, click: What is a power of attorney? When do I need to sign a power of attorney?
- If you need protection in the UK, please do not file your trademark in the EU since the UK is no longer part of the EU.
- We have already repeated this a few times, but we will repeat: if a proper trademark search has not been done, please don’t file your trademark in the EU.
- If your trademark is generic or descriptive, it will be unregistrable in the EU. There is no supplemental register in the EU, unlike the US.
- If you are aware that there is a similar trademark for related products, please consider changing your trademark name. Since the rate of opposition is higher in the EU than in the UK or Germany, for example, the careful search must be done to ensure the risk of opposition is at its minimum.
- If you don’t have the budget for the EU trademark. Since government filing fees are rather high, please budget accordingly. Don’t file a trademark in the EU if you can’t afford government fees (850 euros for the 1st class; 50 euros for the 2nd class and 150 euros for each additional class).
To open in a new tab, click: When should I refrain from filing a trademark in the EU?
There are 3 ways how you can proceed:
- Book an initial phone call with us. Here is the link for the trademark package
- Ask for a free preliminary trademark search to get an idea of whether your trademark can be registered. This is a basic search but if your mark is unregistrable, we'll be able to tell you. Order your search here.
- Buy a trademark package right away to start the trademark registration process without further delay. You can see our pricing on this page and can buy directly from our website.
What happens after I buy a trademark package?
- We'll confirm your order.
- We'll check if your trademark is registrable. A comprehensive trademark search will be done at this stage. We will provide detailed recommendations on how to increase the chances of achieving registration if your trademark turns out to be problematic.
- If your trademark is registrable, we'll move forward with the trademark registration process.
- If your trademark has low chances of achieving registration, you will have 3 options:
- Ask for a full refund;
- Come up with a different name. We will provide detailed instructions for this. Further trademark searches are included in the package and there is no extra cost. We'll keep searching until we find a registrable trademark;
- Proceed with the filing anyway.
The choice is yours. Make the first step now.
To open in a new tab, click: How does the process work with Trademark Angel? What happens after I buy a trademark package?
The fastest guaranteed way to get a trademark registered for Brand Registry is to file a word mark (without logo) or a logo in Germany using the accelerated examination option. It takes up to 4 weeks with the accelerated examination option and about 2-3 months with regular examination.
We always file electronically so this ensures the fastest processing of the trademark application.
Also, in our experience, trademarks filed in a single class results in the quickest registration.
Filing in the UK or the EU will also ensure a quick entry into Brand Registry (about 3.5-4 months).
To open in a new tab, click: What is the fastest way to obtain a trademark for Brand Registry purposes?
- The full legal name of the applicant (either your company or your personal name)
- The full address of the applicant.
- The trademark name. If you are filing for a logo, we need to see the logo. If you are using a few color variations, please send them all as filing in black and white in the EU and the UK, will not protect your color versions. Read more about color claim here.
- The products which you sell or plan to sell under your trademark (provide a list).
- The services which you offer or plan to offer under your trademark (provide a list).
Once you provide us with a list of products and services you want to include in your application, we will properly classify them to make sure we qualify for the fast trademark examination (Fast-track in the EU, for example).
To open in a new tab, click: What information do I need to provide in order to file a trademark application in the EU or the UK?
If you are interested in protecting your trademark, probably you know that the protection a registered trademark grants you is not worldwide but rather territorial, for example, having a US trademark enables you to enforce your rights only in the US. Likewise, an EU trademark gives you coverage in all 28 member countries of the EU but it does not protect you in the US.
The EU applies an “all-or-nothing” principle when it comes to acceptance of a trademark for registration.
What does it mean?
It means that an EU trademark application is denied registration if it has grounds for refusal in only one member state. For example, the word “Casa” means “House” in Spanish, so you can’t get registration in the EU for “Ideal Casa” if you are selling “house accessories” or offering “housing service” as such a trademark may be considered descriptive of the products or service and therefore refused on absolute grounds.
In other words, your trademark needs to be distinctive and not descriptive of the products and services that you offer under the trademark in all the member states of the EU. In this way, the EU is able to give you protection in all its member countries. If you get an EU registration, you either get it for the entire EU or none at all.
However, in case an EU trademark application is refused on such grounds, it can be converted into a national trademark application with the same filing date in other EU member countries where the ground of refusal is not applicable. But the protection will be limited to that particular country only. Additionally, converting an EU trademark into national filings will be expensive and more time consuming.
Similarly, earlier rights can be enforced from a party that doesn’t have an EU trademark rather a national one from an EU member state. That means if a party opposes the registration of your EU trademark application, their opposition will be taken into account even if they don’t have an EU registration.
How to increase chances for your EU trademark application to achieve registration? Conduct a thorough trademark search (common law, Google, social media and, of course, EUIPO database). Trademark Angel can help you to determine if there are any similar trademarks in the EU to minimize the risk of getting an opposition.
To open in a new tab, click: What is “all or nothing” principle in EU trademark registration?
Trademark Classes
Every trademark application must list the specific goods and services that the trademark will cover.
Products belong to trademark classes 1 to 34. Services belong to classes 35 to 45.
Products are tangible, you can touch them. Services are intangible.
Below is a rough classification (class headings) just to give you an idea of general categories (please note that the below list cannot be used for trademark filing)
Products
Class 1: Chemicals (including those used in agriculture, industry and science)
Class 2: Paints, coatings, varnishes, colorants for food.
Class 3: Cosmetics, creams and serums, cleaning products including soap and shampoo, bleaching and abrasives, non-medicated toiletry preparations, false eyelashes, essential oil, perfume
Class 4: Fuels, industrial oils, greases, lubricants, candles
Class 5: Pharmaceutical and veterinary products, food supplements and vitamins, baby food, disinfectants, fungicides, herbicides, plasters, dental wax
Class 6: Metals, metal castings, metal hardware, metal containers, locks, safes
Class 7: Machines and machine tools and their parts, motors and engines (except for land vehicles)
Class 8: Hand-operated tools and implements, razors, cutlery
Class 9: Computers, computer hardware, computer cables, cell phones and cell phone cases, data carriers, computer software, downloable publications including e-books, videos and podcasts
Class 10: Medical and dental instruments and apparatus, massage apparatus, sex toys
Class 11: Products for lighting, heating, steam generating, cooking, refrigerating, drying, ventilating, water supply and sanitary purposes including lamps and kettles
Class 12: Land, air and nautical vehicles, motors and engines for land vehicles
Class 13: Firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, holsters
Class 14: Precious metals, watches, jewellery
Class 15: Musical instruments
Class 16: Paper, items made of paper, stationery products, artists’ products, printed products including photographs, stickers, notebooks, party ornaments of paper
Class 17: Rubber, asbestos and plastic Items, pipes and tubes
Class 18: Leather and leather goods, bags, wallets, animal apparel, collars and leashes for animals
Class 19: Building and construction materials (non-metallic), non-metal monuments
Class 20: Furniture, mirrors, picture frames, storage containers not of metal, party ornaments of plastic
Class 21: Kitchen utensils, crockery, containers, cleaning implements, toothbrushes
Class 22: Ropes and strings, tents, nets, awnings, sacks, padding, canvas material and raw fibrous textile material
Class 23: Yarns, threads
Class 24: Textiles, fabrics, blankets, covers, towels
Class 25: Clothing, footwear and headgear
Class 26: Sewing products, lace and embroidery, artificial flowers, hair decorations like ribbons, false hair
Class 27: Carpets, linoleum, wall and floor coverings, wall hangings
Class 28: Sports equipment, video game apparatus, games, toys, Christmas decorations
Class 29: Dairy products, meat and fish, processed and preserved foods, including dried, frozen and cooked fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, edible oils and fats, jamps, jellies
Class 30: Staple foods, spices, bakery products, confectioneries, tea, coffee
Class 31: Fresh fruit and vegetables, live animals, animal food, seeds, fresh herbs, plants and flowers
Class 32: Non-alcoholic beverages, preparations for making beverages, fruit juices, beer
Class 33: Alcoholic beverages, except beer
Class 34: Tobacco products and smokers’ articles, matches, electronic cigarettes
Services
Class 35: Retail services including online retail store, advertising, business consulting, business management
Class 36: Insurance and financial services, real estate services
Class 37: Building construction, repair and maintenance services, installation services
Class 38: Telecommunication services, broadcasting services including video broadcasting
Class 39: Transport, logistics and storage, travel services
Class 40: Treatment of materials, custom assembly, recycling and waste management
Class 41: Education services, including arranging and conducting educational classes and seminars, entertainment services, book publishing, organizing exhibitions and conferences
Class 42: Saas and Paas services (Software as a service and platform as a service), IT services, software development, graphic design services, website development, scientific and technological services
Class 43: Restaurants, cafes, hotels, catering services
Class 44: Medical services, hygienic and beauty care services, dental services, veterinary services
Class 45: Personal and social services, legal services, security services
For a more in-depth discussion read this article: Taking Advantage of the Trademark Classification
To open in a new tab, click: Classification of Goods and Services in a Trademark Application (class headings)
When deciding whether to file for either a word mark or logo, it is important to keep in mind that a logo must always be used as it is depicted in your application. In addition, if you file your logo in a particular color in the US, you must always use your logo in that particular color.
On the other hand, word marks are somewhat more flexible. When filed in all capital letters, word marks allow the trademark owner to display it in any combination of lower case and upper case letters.
For example, if you filed for the word mark TRADEMARK ANGEL ROCKS, you can use it on your goods and/or services as: trademark angel rocks, Trademark Angel Rocks, or TraDeMaRk AnGeL RoCkS.
The flexibility of a word mark ultimately makes it quite appealing as it is not limited to a particular font or color and can be displayed in a combination of upper and lower-case letters.
However, filing for a logo can be more advantageous in some situations.
For example, if your mark is found to be descriptive of your goods/services or uses generic words, your mark will generally be limited to the Supplemental Register. A distinct logo, however, can “carry” the mark to the Principal Register despite the descriptive nature of your mark.
Let’s say you want to file for TRADEMARK REGISTRATION CO. for a company that offers trademark registration services. That’s a mark that is descriptive of the services offered, and will therefore would be limited to registration to the Supplemental Register. If this same mark was filed with a distinctive logo, for example:
Then, the logo could provide sufficient distinctiveness to allow registration of TRADEMARK REGISTRATION CO. onto the Principal Register (with a disclaimer for “TRADEMARK REGISTRATION CO.”).
Another situation when filing for a logo is advantageous is when there are similar marks. For example, a client wanted to register the mark HAWQUE with a design element of a flying hawk 
- for computer software connecting customers to security contractors, in Class 9. We advised that the logo will most likely be registrable but the wordmark alone would be too similar to marks containing the word HAWK providing similar products in the same class. Although we received an office action alleging that the HAWQUE logo mark was confusingly similar to a registered wordmark, HAWQ, that also covered Class 9 computer software, we were ultimately able to overcome the objection. Our client’s logo, HAWQUE, was successfully registered soon after.
In another case, a client wanted to register the mark ESTEEM APPAREL, either the word mark or the logo. However, in our initial search, we found a very similar, registered mark, ESTEEM CLOTHING. In this case, we advised that the logo would have a greater chance of registration. The client chose to file for the logo 
instead of the word mark and, although we received a confusion objection based on similarity with ESTEAM and ESTEEM CLOTHING marks, we were able to successfully able to overcome the objection and the mark was successfully registered.
Since the client protected the logo , he now cannot use Esteem Apparel side by side, without the image, in a different font or in ALL CAPITAL letters: ESTEEM APPAREL. On the other hand, if word mark had been filed - ESTEEM APPAREL, he could have used it in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, in any font, side by side or one word above the other. Logo makes the trademark inflexible and you should not be making even small changes in your use.
In addition, in some cases, one has to file for a logo if the trademark is broken/separated by images or symbols. Please check our article that talks more about it.
Thus, as can be seen from the above examples, it is important to first determine if your mark is too descriptive to achieve registration in the Principal Register, and whether you intend to consistently display your logo on all of your products, prior to making a decision regarding whether to file for a word mark or a logo. Also, in case there are similar marks, filing for the logo may help to differentiate and ultimately achieve registration of your mark.
To open in a new tab, click: Which trademark should I File? Word Mark or Logo?
Some trademarks cannot be registered on absolute grounds. It's important that your trademark does not fall in any of the categories below in order to be registrable:
- your trademark does not function as a trademark, i.e. as a source indicator
- your trademark clearly descriptive of goods or services
- your trademark is generic and is merely the name of a product or service
- your trademark is not distinctive, i.e. is not capable of distinguishing your products or services from products or services of other traders
Make sure you watch our video how to select a great trademark.
To open in a new tab, click: What are considered absolute grounds for trademark refusal?
What is the difference between company name, business name, domain name and brand or trademark?
What are different types of company, domain, business or brand names? Let's get the names straight to avoid confusion.
- Company name: Legal name of the company, either registered federally or in a certain state (or province in Canada).
Example: Microsoft Corporation
Note: one company may own more than one brand and may do business under more than one name
- Business name or doing business as: Name under which you conduct your business.
Example: Microsoft
Example: Skype
- Domain name: Name of your address on the Web.
Example: www.microsoft.com
Example: www.skype.com (Microsoft owns Skype)
- Trademark: A trademark may be one word, a combination of words, or logos (or even sounds and smells!) used to distinguish/differentiate your products or services from those of other entities.
Example: MICROSOFT, 
, or a combined mark: 
Example: SKYPE, 
Let's take another example of a giant retailer Kraft Foods.
Company name: Kraft Foods Inc.
12 of Kraft Foods brands are sold worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident and Tang.
For each brand Kraft Foods has a website: cadbury.co.uk; cadbury.com.au; oreo.com; oscarmayer.com, etc.
Not everyone knows that these 12 famous brands are owned by the same giant! It doesn't really matter, what matters is that everyone knows where do buy their favorite Cadbury chocolate or Oreo cookies and everyone knows how the Oreo cookies package looks like!
To open in a new tab, click: What are different types of names? Company name vs business name vs domain name vs trademark?
If you simply business incorporate or register a corporate name, it doesn't mean that the government approved for you to use the name as a trademark.
If we take a US LLC, as an example, every state has its own laws about business names.
You can register your LLC name in Delaware but the business name registration has no impact on the other 49 states.
In plain English, if you register Coolapples LLC in Delaware, another entity may register Coolapples LLC in Indiana. If you plan to expand nationwide or worldwide, trademark registration will provide that protection. A federal US trademark will give you exclusive rights to use your brand name for your products across the US. Likewise, a Canadian or Australian trademark will give you country-wide rights to use your chosen brand in your country and will make it easier for your to sell or license your trademark later.
To open in a new tab, click: Do I need to register a trademark if my business incorporated?
A UK trademark only protects you in the UK, which consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is no protection outside of the UK. A UK trademark is filed in the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO).
A trademark filed in the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is called an EU trademark (formerly known as a CTM (Community) trademark).
EU trademark protects you in the 28-member countries of the EU making it a very strong trademark. Current EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
To open in a new tab, click: What is the difference between a UK and EU trademark?
Trademarks Office in the EU and the UK will not refuse your trademark if there is a prior filed or previously registered similar trademark.
Instead the Trademarks Office in the EU and the UK only looks at absolute grounds (i.e. if the mark is deception or descriptive, it may be refused).
However, if there is a similar trademark, it will not be refused by the Trademarks Office. Instead, owners of similar trademarks may oppose during the 3-month opposition window in the EU and during the 2 month opposition period in the UK.
One of the main reasons one may file an opposition is confusion with an earlier trademark. Opposition proceedings offer an owner of an earlier trademark the right to oppose the registration of a trademark that could endanger his/her business.
By monitoring the EU Intellectual Property Office database or the UK Intellectual Property Database, you will ensure that you will timely see newly filed EU / UK trademarks and will be in a position to oppose in time. Ask us about the monitoring service.
To open in a new tab, click: Why is it important to monitor newly filed trademarks in the EU and the UK?
In the European Union, cooling off period is set by the Trademarks Office once the opposition has been received and assuming it is admissible.
The purpose of the cooling off period is to allow parties to negotiation a settlement agreement.
An initial cooling off period is 2 months, but can be requested to a maximum of 24 months.
When the cooling-off period has expired and if no agreement has been reached by the parties, the litigation part of the proceedings begins. Most oppositions are settled as it’s cheaper than to proceed with a full-blown opposition.
To open in a new tab, click: What is a cooling off period in a trademark opposition?
The opposition procedure can only be started by a party who is the owner or licensee of an earlier trademark. An opposition can be filed against a trademark filed in the EU Intellectual Property Office, or against an international application designating the EU.
To open in a new tab, click: Who can file a trademark opposition in the EU?
Trademark applications can be filed in any EU official language.
A second language, different from the first language, can be chosen from the following: English, French, Spanish, German or Italian.
To open in a new tab, click: In which language can you apply for an EU trademark?
In the EU, no use is required in order to file an application. Just like in the UK, you don’t need to specify any dates of first use or to indicate if the mark is in use. No use is required to obtain a trademark registration.
To maintain your trademark, it must be put to "genuine use in the European Community" within 5 years of registration. If the trademark has not been used, without a very good reason, for five years or more, then the registration may be cancelled. Furthermore, Community trademarks that do not meet the new standard for “genuine use in the Community” may be converted to national trademarks of a Member State if they meet the requirements for that Member State.
To open in a new tab, click: Do I have to use my trademark in the European Union prior to filing? Do I have to use my trademark after registration?
It’s perfectly legal for you to use your trademark without registration. However, if you are using a trademark that is similar to another name that was adopted before you adopted your trademark, you may be liable for trademark infringement.
To minimize the risk of choosing a trademark that's similar to another name, you should do a trademark search of the Trademark Office database of the country where you plan to use your brand and of the marketplace (check on Internet for similar names usage).
To open in a new tab, click: Can I use my trademark if it isn’t registered?
In different countries trademark opposition process is different.
In the US, trademark opposition period is only 30 days, so you have to be pretty fast if you plan to oppose.
A trademark opposition in Brazil may be filed by an interested party within 60 days from the date of its publication.
In Canada, Australia and New Zealand one has to file a trademark opposition within a 2-month period.
A trademark opposition in South Korea may be filed by an interested party within 2 months from the date of its publication.
In the UK, an opposition period is 2 months but can be requested to 3 months upon a request made by a party that intends to oppose.
A trademark opposition in Japan may be filed by an interested party within two months from the date of its publication. Trademarks are published twice, first time right after filing and second time after registration.
In Germany, publication happens after registration. Opposition period is 3 months.
In the European Union and China, a notice of opposition must be filed within 3 months following the publication.
In India, anyone may oppose registration of an Indian trademark within 4 months after publication.
To open in a new tab, click: How long is a trademark opposition process?
If you are filing a logo in the European Union, filing in black and white will not allow you to use your logo in any color, unlike the US and Canada. Marks that are registered in black and white but used in color may be vulnerable to cancellation if the owner of the trademark does not prove genuine use of the trademark “as registered”. It means that the logo trademark has to be filed in the color that it will be used (and not in black and white unless the owner plans to use the logo in black and white).
Full rules with detailed questions and answers can be reviewed here: European Common Practice.
If you are thinking of filing a new trademark application, you may want to file two applications: one in black and white to cover all color combinations if you ever need to bring a proceeding before a National Court that has not implemented European Common Practice and one in a particular color that you use to comply with European Common Practice. As us about a special discount for a black and white and color logo (if filed at the same time).
To open in a new tab, click: In what color should you file your logo in the European Union?
Trademarks can last forever if they are renewed on time. Keep in mind you will have to continue using your trademark to keep it in good standing.
In the US, you must renew your trademark every 10 years. The 10 year term is counted from the registration date. In addition, between the 5th and 6th year after the registration date, you must file an "affidavit of use" to keep the registration alive.
In European Union, Germany, the United Kingdom, India and Australia, you have to renew your trademark every 10 years. The 10 year term counts from the application date.
In China, trademarks have to be renewed every 10 years. The renewal period is counted from the date of registration.
In Canada, a trademark has to be renewed every 10 years (the renewal period was changed from 15 to 10 years in June of 2019). The 10 year term counts from the registration date.
To open in a new tab, click: How long are trademarks valid for?
Here we rank the countries where we file from the fastest to the slowest.
1. Germany is the fastest country and overall champion. It takes 1-3 months, on average to register a trademark in Germany. With accelerated examination, most trademarks register within a month. So this is a clear champion in terms of speed. Sometimes Germany can be a little unpredictable as it can take a month for one trademark and 3 months for another trademark.
2. One of the fast and most predictable in terms of timeline is the United Kingdom, where it takes about 3.5-4 months from filing to registration. Added bonus is low government fees.
3. In the European Union, the registration process is about 6-7 months. Not so bad, but the government fees are very high. If your application is filed using "fast-track" method, then the whole process takes about 3.5-4 months. We always EU applications using "fast-track" so European Union is very comparable to the UK (maybe a little slower).
4. It takes about 4-8 months to register a a trademark in Mexico but it can be somewhat inconsistent in terms of the time (sometimes it takes 4 months and sometimes more than 8 months).
5. You will have to wait for about 7.5-8 months to register a trademark in Australia unless we get an objection. Usually most trademarks register within a year or less.
6. In China, it takes 9-12 months to register a trademark if there are no complications. However, if there is an objection and we have to appeal, registration will be delayed by 8 months. China is determined to make the overall registration process faster, so it's possible that in 2020 this timeline will be shorter.
7. India is similar to China in terms of timeline. On average it takes 10 months to get a registration certificate if there are no problems during the process.
8. It takes a minimum of 12-14 months to register trademark in the US. If there are office actions (objections from the Trademarks Office), then registration will be delayed. It's not uncommon for a registration to take a year or longer.
9. In Japan, it may take from 10 to 14 months for a trademark to register.
10. In Brazil trademark registration process takes on average 12-18 months. It's a pretty long time.
11. The last place is unfortunately taken by Canada. It takes 36-42 months to finish the registration process. If there are objections the overall registration process takes even more time. It's painfully slo-o-ow. Don't ask us why. We don't know the answer. We feel your pain though. Hopefully, as Canada joined Madrid protocol things will improve. We don't know if and when they will improve. Ever since pandemics began the whole process delayed even more (other countries haven't been affected so badly).
To open in a new tab, click: How long does it take to register a trademark?
