Trademarks

Registration begins with a single European Union trade mark (EUTM) application before the EUIPO which, once granted, protects your brand across all 27 member states. The EUIPO examines the application on absolute grounds, publishes it, and opens a three-month window for third parties to oppose. We handle the full process: clearance, classification of goods and services, filing, examination responses and any opposition, and we coordinate national or international filings where you need protection beyond the EU.

The Madrid System, administered by WIPO, lets you seek protection across more than 130 territories through a single international application based on a home (“basic”) mark and filed via your Office of origin. It centralises filing, renewal and portfolio changes in one procedure. It is most efficient when you need coverage in several jurisdictions at once — for example a Latin American company expanding across Europe — though for the first five years the international registration depends on the basic mark, which we factor into your filing strategy.

A registered trademark generally lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed indefinitely for further ten-year periods. Two things can still cost you the right: failing to renew on time, and not putting the mark to genuine use — after five years of non-use a trademark becomes vulnerable to revocation. We track renewal deadlines and advise on use requirements across your whole portfolio.

Once your application is published, the holder of an earlier right can file an opposition within the opposition period if they believe your mark conflicts with theirs. The procedure usually opens with a cooling-off period for negotiation, followed by an exchange of arguments and evidence before the office decides. We act on both sides — defending applicants and enforcing earlier rights for opponents — and advise early on whether to negotiate, amend or proceed.

A clearance search is strongly advisable. Filing without one risks refusal, opposition, or an infringement claim once you have already invested in the brand. A proper search looks beyond identical marks to confusingly similar ones across the relevant classes and territories. We provide availability searches and clearance opinions before you adopt a new mark, so you commit to a name that is genuinely free to use.

An EU trade mark is a single right covering all 27 member states through the EUIPO; a Spanish national mark, filed before the OEPM, covers Spain only. The EU mark is usually more cost-effective when you need several EU markets, but a single earlier right in one country can block it entirely, whereas a national mark is more contained. We advise on the right route — EU, national, or a combination — based on where your business actually operates.

Yes. We coordinate national filings across Latin American and African jurisdictions through correspondent counsel, and use the Madrid System where the country is a member. In Africa we also work through the regional systems — OAPI for French-speaking states and ARIPO for English-speaking ones. You keep a single point of contact for the whole Europe–Latin America–Africa corridor.

Anyone can file in principle, but applicants without a domicile or establishment in the European Economic Area must appoint a professional representative to act before the EUIPO. Beyond the formal requirement, the value of representation lies in getting the classification, strategy and defence right — the decisions that determine whether the registration actually protects you. We act as that single coordinated representative across the corridor.