What are the Benefits of Registering a European Union Trademark?
A single registration filed online in one language is valid in all EU member states. The EU trademark gives you exclusive rights in all current and future EU member states at a reasonable cost and is valid for 10 years. This means that you can promote your brand in a market with nearly 500 million customers. You can renew it indefinitely, 10 years for each renewal.
What trademarks can I register?
You can register 3 types of trademarks:
Registering a European Union Trademark: Individual
This trademark distinguishes the goods and services of one company or person from the goods and services of another. This does not mean that one trademark must belong to one company or individual: an individual trademark can belong to one or more legal or natural persons. This means that there are several applicants.
The basic registration fee starts from €850.
Collective
This trademark distinguishes the goods and services of a group of companies or members of an association from those of competitors. They can be used to increase consumer confidence in goods or services offered under the collective mark. Quite often they are used to identify products that have a specific characteristic.
Only associations of manufacturers, service providers or traders, as well as legal entities governed by public law, can apply for collective marks. The registration fee is €1500.
Registering a European Union Trademark: Certification
This trademark (presented at EUIPO on October 1, 2017) is a new type of trademark at the EU level, although it has existed at the national level for many years. This type of trademark is used to indicate that goods or services meet the certification requirements of a certifying institution or organization; it is a sign of controlled quality.
Any natural or legal person, including institutions and bodies governed by public law, may apply for EU certification marks, provided that such person does not conduct business related to the supply of goods or services of a certified type.
The registration fee is €1500.
What is a brand class?
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has adopted the Nice Classification for the classification of goods and services. In the Nice classification, goods and services are divided into 45 classes.
A registration fee of €850 allows you to choose one class. For an additional fee (€50) you can add a second class, and for three or more classes you will need to pay €150 for each class.
When you apply for trademark registration, you can use the online EUIPO application forms, the five-step form, or the advanced form. There you can search and view a list of goods and services known as the Harmonized Database.
It contains conditions that have already been accepted by EUIPO and all national intellectual property offices in the European Union and beyond. The harmonized database allows EUIPO to simplify the processing of your application. Your application can also be accepted for Fast Track, the EUIPO expedited procedure that allows you to get your application published faster.
You can also use EUIPO Product & Service Designer to prepare your list before submitting your application, which is recommended for professional practitioners as sometimes multiple applications need to be submitted at once.
What is the five-step online application form?
- Choose a kind and a type of your trademark.
- Choose the class of the brand.
- Check if there is a similar brand name.
- Fill in your data (names, positions, addresses, contacts, etc.)
- Confirmation and payment.
