You cannot become successful without people copying you.
Think ahead and secure your trademark now!
Is trademark really for you?
Do you want to prevent copycats from using your brand name or a similar name?
The more successful you become, the most likely there will be people copying you. It is important to note that neither your domain name nor your business name protects your brand name. Only a registered trademark provides you with the exclusive right to stop others from copying you. Make sure to think ahead and apply for a trademark!
Do you have your own brand name and/or logo?
Did you know that a brand name and a logo are not automatically protected? You have to file a trademark application to apply for a trademark in order to legally protect your brand. If you want to protect both your brand name and logo, you have to file two trademark applications.
Do you want to avoid costly mistakes?
Many of my clients filed their first trademark too late, after making a costly mistake: they started their business without a trademark search and without securing their trademark. After they became successful, it turned out that their brand name was already registered as a trademark (by someone else, of course). Some of them successfully negotiated a deal and bought the trademark ($$), but some of them had to rebrand ($$$). As an attorney, it is heartbreaking to witness this situation occurring over and over again.
Without a trademark, your brand is not really worth anything.
Without a registered trademark, you do not own your brand. This means, you don’t have the right to stop others from using the same or similar brand names. By registering a trademark that can live forever, the value of your brand keeps growing over time.
Are you planning to build a bigger empire in the future?
If you want to grow, maybe also license your brand in the future, you must secure your trademark. By owning a registered trademark, you can stop copycats and you can also license your brand.
A trademark is stronger than a domain name.
Do you want to secure your domain name? You can do that by registering your trademark. Unfortunately, I have seen a few disputes where the owner of an earlier trademark was able to take over the domain name from its original owner. This can happen because a trademark takes precedence over a domain name.
What can be a trademark?
Any signs, in particular words (including personal names), slogans, or designs, letters, numerals, colours, the shape of goods, or of the packaging of goods or sounds. Take a look at the picture on the left for examples for trademarks.
To be eligible for registration, your trade mark must be distinctive and must not describe what you sell.
What cannot be a trademark?
Generic and descriptive terms cannot be registered as a trademark, since nobody should be allowed to use them exclusively. For example, COLD AND CREAMY as a trademark for ice cream, or merely laudatory terms such as “best” or “quality” are likely ineligible for protection.
A beer named beer (see the photo on the right) cannot be registered as a trademark either.
The reasons why you need a trademark
A registered trademark:
gives you an exclusive right to operate and market under said trademark in the country it is registered,
allows you to put the ® symbol next to your brand - to show that it’s yours and warn others against using it,
creates brand recognition and improves your reputation,
enables you to sell and license your brand,
prevents counterfeiting and fraud, as it allows you to take legal action against anyone who uses your brand without your permission.
Costs of a trademark
European Union trademark
Official fee: €850 for one class
Official fee for additional classes: €50 for the 2nd class,
For three or more classes: €150 for each class.
Obtain one trademark for the whole European Union (27 countries) via a single and cost-efficient procedure.
The costs cover 27 countries for 10 years. We do not charge a fee at registration.
UK trademark
From 1 January 2021, EU trademarks no longer cover the UK (because of Brexit).
Official fee: £170 for one class
Official fee for each additional class: £50
The UK trademark process is short and inexpensive.
The cost covers the whole territory of United Kingdom for 10 years. We do not charge a fee at registration.
Trademark services:
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I know that the process of creating your own brand and obtaining a registered trademark can be overwhelming. Book a consultation with a trademark attorney where you can ask all of your questions and discuss strategy. The fee of the consultation includes one follow-up email to answer your remaining questions.
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Do you have an idea for your brand name? I advise conducting a trademark search before filing a trademark application to make sure that the name is available and you do not spend your money on a trademark unnecessarily. A trademark search will help you decide whether it is worth investing in a trademark.
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A single trademark that covers the whole territory of the European Union, i.e. the 27 member states such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. An EU trademark is valid for 10 years, and the process takes about 4-5 months.
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A UK trademark covers the whole territory of the United Kingdom and is valid for 10 years. The process of obtaining a trademark is about 4-5 months long.
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Do you have clients in the EU and the UK as well? Let’s file two trademark applications to cover both important territories at the same time. This makes the process quicker and less expensive (lower service fee).
I am Zsofia Pintz,
a European Union Trade Mark Attorney and a European Patent Attorney. I would love to assist you with protecting your brand.
Would you like to work with me?
FAQ
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60 minutes. The service fee of the consultation also includes one follow-up email to answer your remaining questions.
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No, unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to offer free consultations anymore.
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A registered trademark is valid for 10 years from the filing date. It can be renewed every 10 years without any additional examination. Thus, a trademark can last forever.
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I can assist you with obtaining trademarks in the EU and in the UK. After discussing everything with you, I carefully prepare the necessary documents and then file the application to the EU and the UK trademark office.
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The trademark registration process takes about 4-5 months if there is no opposition.
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Preparation of the list of goods and services by a European Trademark Attorney,
Filing the application and sending you the filing receipt,
Attorney representation before the Intellectual Property Offices,
Forwarding any office actions via e-mail,
Informing about the registration, and
Forwarding the registration certificate via e-mail.
The service fee does not cover preparing a response if there is an office action or opposition. In those cases, we will inform you of our service fee (flat fee).
Obtaining a registered trademark can be a daunting process.
However, I am here to help you every step of the way.
Do you have any questions?
Testimonials
“Zsofia did a great job handling our UK and EU filings. The process was very easy and we were able to secure the marks we wanted with little issue. I would happily recommend Fillun's services.”
— Aaron VanDevender (CEO of Methid, Inc.)
“Filling for a trademark can be a tiring and difficult task to do for a startup. Fillun made the whole process easy and fast for us. Their service was excellent and of high quality.
We highly recommend them for everything related to patents and trademarks.”
— George Charalampakis (Co-Founder of Codefunnels)
Check out the following posts
How to start the trademarking process?
A frequently asked question is what your attorney needs from you in order to start the process. In this post, you can find out how you can start a UK and/or a European Union trademark process.
How much does a trademark cost?
A registered trademark is really valuable since it gives you an exclusive right to operate and market under said trademark in the country it is registered. However, a reasonable question is: how much does it cost to own your registered trademark? Click to find out.
What happens if the trademark application is refused?
Since the registration of your trademark depends on the trademark office and also on third parties’ oppositions, this is one of the most common questions.