An International trademark can be filed in respect of a unique name, symbol, logo that is designed by an individual or company for their branding in the market and worldwide. It can be for product or services.As per the international NICE classification system there are 45 classes of good and services. Once trademark is registered,under a particular class or classes of goods and services, applicant will get exclusive rights to use the trademark throughout the country in which it is registered to advertise goods and services and use ® symbol with the trade mark. They can also take legal action against those competitors who are using deceptively similar marks
REGIONAL AGREEMENTS
EUROPEAN UNION
A registered European Union Trademark (EUTM) grants recognition and protection in all 28 member States of the European Union. The member states of the EU are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, 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.
European Union Trademarks are also recognized in the following territorial dependencies of EU member states:
- Finland – Aland Islands
- France – Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Reunion
- Portugal – Azores and Madeira
- Spain – Canary Islands and Ceuta and Melilla
- United Kingdom – UK legislation states that European Union trademarks (EUTMs) shall be recognized automatically in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Gibraltar
A registered trademark in EU will be valid for 10 years from the date of application and may be renewed for periods of 10 years.
ARIPO
Registering a trademark through the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) grants protection in the ten (10) member states that are also a part to the Banjul Protocol, namely Botswana, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania (mainland) and Zimbabwe. A registered trademark in ARIPO will be valid for 10 years from the date of application and may be renewed for periods of 10 years.
OAPI
A trademark registered with the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI), African Intellectual Property Organization in English, grants protection in all seventeen (17) member states of this organization, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. OAPI is also a member state to the Madrid Protocol. Registered trademarks in OAPI have a validity of ten (10) years from the application date and can be renewed for further periods of ten (10) years.
BENELUX
Benelux is the union of the countries of Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. In order to register a trademark in any of these countries, the application necessarily has to be done through the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP), and therefore protection will be granted in the three member countries.The members of Benelux are also members of the European Union, thus European Union Trademarks (EUTM) are protected in this jurisdiction.Benelux is also a member of the Madrid Protocol. Registered trademarks in Benelux have a validity of ten (10) years from the application date and can be renewed for further periods of ten (10) years.
OTHER COUNTRIES
We also provide Trademark services in all countries of ASIA, MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, SOUTH AMERICA, OCEANIA, CARIBBEAN and those AFRICAN, EUROPEAN and BALKAN countries not covered by regional agreements.
A Freedom to Operate Trademark Search or Trademark Register ability Search in a foreign country will help the prospective applicant to know whether someone has already applied for a similar mark in that country or region for particular goods or services. This will help them to know their chances in registering a trademark in that country without trouble or whether they can export their goods and services to that country without infringing upon marks used for similar goods and services. We provide International Trademark searches in all countries of Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America, Benelux and Eurasian countries. Search is provided within one working day to one week’s time.
Trademark registration is essential if you are planning to use your brand, trade name, logo, caption, smell, jingles etc. in respect of your business, goods and services in a particular country. Time line for registration varies from country to country. Trade mark registration is necessary if you are planning to export goods and services under a particular brand. We provide Trademark Registration in all countries where Trademark can be registered. We provide registration based on regional agreements and in each country depending upon their respective Trademark laws. There is provision to claim priority in a foreign convention country within 6 months of filing a national trademark application.