Trademark registration is about registering words, images, sounds, shapes and colours. It is no luxury, but rather a necessity. It ensures more protection compared to e.g. the Trade Names Act. Generally, tradenames will only provide local protection. After a trademark registration in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembrug (Benelux), the European Union or beyond you will become a trademark owner. Your trademark will be protected against third-party infringement and you will be holding the monopoly. You may take measures against younger, similar trademarks for the same or similar products and/or services, insofar this may cause a financial loss or confusion among the public. One of the biggest pitfalls of trademark registration is an inaccurate and/or incorrect registration, leaving you with no valid trademark rights to protect your trademark.
Trademark registration
Protect your trademark against third-party infringements
Markeys offers registration in:
Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxemburg (Benelux)
The European Union
International
Benelux trademark registration
The European Union trademark registration
To make sure your trademark is protected in the European Union (including the Benelux countries), an European Union registration is your perfect inexpensive solution. It is called the European Union trademark (EU Trademark). EU trademarks are filed by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO / before OHIM) in Alicante, Spain.
Holding an EU trademark means your trademark will be protected in 27 European Union member states namely: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, CzechRepublic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) in no longer part of the European Union. Please bear in mind that your request for an EU trademark might be denied by those holding another EU trademark or an international or national trademark (e.g. Spain).
International trademark registration
Based on your International trademark registration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva (Switzerland) and the Madrid System, you are entitled to choose trademark protection in more then 110 countries using a single filing. If you are operating in several countries, this option will be (much) more favourable rather than having several national filings. The good thing about having an international trademark, compared to the Community Trademark / EU trademark, is that trademark issues in one country can only have consequences for protection in that specific country. At a subsequent stage, more countries can be added. International trademark registration requires a basic registration.