EU Trademark Registration Services
1. Definition of Trademark
A trademark is one kind of an intellectual property containing numerical, word, label, the shape of goods, color, name, symbol, or any combination that makes your brand different from others and communicates brand value to customers.
2. Why do you need to register a EU Trademark for your business?
Building a strong brand is important to business success, and protecting that brand is necessary for sustainable growth for the business. The main benefits to registered trademark:
- Protect your brand value and investment;
- Defend against competitor’s use of a trademark;
- Define your rights;
- Prevent confusion and fraud;
- Build an asset;
- Monetize your intellectual property.
3. What can be the European Union* (EU) Trademark?
The EU Trademark includes signs, particular words, designs, letters, numerals, colors, the shape of goods, or the packaging of goods or sounds.
To be registered successfully, your trademark must be distinctive and should not describe the details of what you sell.
Individual marks, certificate marks, and collective marks are three kinds of trademarks you can register
An individual mark: used to distinguish the goods or services of one particular company from those of competitors. Individual marks can be registered and owned by one or more legal or natural persons.
Collective marks: used to distinguish the goods and services of a group of companies or members of an association from those of competitors. Collective marks can be registered only by associations of manufacturers, producers, suppliers of services or traders, and legal persons governed by public law.
Certificate marks: used to indicate that goods or services comply with the certification requirements of a certifying institution or organization. Certificate marks can be registered by any natural or legal person, including institutions, authorities, and bodies governed by public law.
4. Register Trademark in the EU
Depends on the needs of your business, you can select one of a four-tier system for registering trademarks in the EU:
- If you want to protect your brand in one EU Member State, where your business is located at the moment or where you want to conduct business. You can make a trademark application to the relevant national IP office. This is considered the National level trademark.
- If you want to protect your brand in Belgium, the Netherlands, and/or Luxembourg. You can make a trademark application to the Benelux Office of Intellectual Property (BOIP). This is considered the Regional level trademark.
- If you want to protect your brand in more Member States of the EU. You can make a trademark application to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). This is considered the European level trademark.
- If you want to expand your protection internationally to any country that is a signatory of the Madrid Protocol. You can make a trademark application to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This is considered the International level trademark.
Benefits of registering an EU trademark
- Once registered, your brand will be protected and enforced throughout all European Union countries.
- The owner has an exclusive right with an EU trademark in all current and the future EU Member States which is valid for 10 years.
*European Union including the following member countries: Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden.