Trademark registration in Europe is complicated and expensive because Europe is not just one but 27 countries. Customers’ dossiers will be filed directly at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Types of trademark registration in Europe
When setting up a company in Europe, there are 4 main forms of trademark registration in Europe that a company might take to register their unique trademark in Europe:
- Registration by country – Applications will be sent directly to the trademark office in that EU country. Unlike international trademark registration, this method only protects within the country.
- Regional registration– This is a special form of overseas trademark registration for the Benelux alliance (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). The company can register for trademark protection abroad for all 3 countries in Benelux Intellectual Property Office, as the procedure for trademark registration in Belgium.
- EU registration – Trademark registration in Europe or European Union Trademark (EUTM) at the EUIPO office. Any changes or cancellations must also be made for the entire EU, not allowing individual countries. EUTM is valid for 10 years and each renewal is for 10 years.
- Registering for international trademark protection – Companies that have registered their trademarks outside the EU can go through the Madrid Agreement to register for EUTM (it should be noted that this type of trademark registration won’t cover all 27 members of the European Union).
In addition, there are 5 official languages of EUIPO: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Fees for trademark registration in Europe
The basic costs must be paid within one month from the date on which the EUIPO notices that the application has been received. EUIPO only starts reviewing trademarks and processing any communications from applicants after the payment of the base fee.
The fees for trademark registration in Europe include only a required amount for the first category of goods and services. The second category (if the customer needs it) will cost a small extra fee and then each category will require a one-time fee.
Trademark renewal in Europe
Every 10 years, businesses must renew their trademark once. Renewal fees must be paid according to the same system as the original trademark registration fee. Each additional category will also require a corresponding surcharge upon the trademark renewal in Europe.
In addition, when changing any details after completing the trademark registration process, the brand owner will have to pay an additional modification fee.