How to protect your trademark or brand internationally

How to protect your trademark internationally

If you are trading overseas it’s crucial to protect your brand with a trademark. This can be quite a complex task so it’s best to come with a strategy and the Trademarkroom can do this for you.

Language/cultural and legal issues are all relevant challenges when filing a trademark internationally. It may sounds obvious but you need to think about not doing anything which is likely to be considered offensive and/or stupid in the relevant market(s)!

It is important to understand what can and cannot be protected in any given market and what steps need to be taken to receive and enforce that protection. The basic principle behind trademarks holds true pretty much globally. In other words, it’s broadly recognised that a trademark is a distinctive mark, which is used to identify a specific product or service. Using trademarks internationally offers much the same advantages as using them in a domestic market. In particular it makes for easier advertising and marketing since the trademark forms a bridge between promotional material and the physical product. It is, however, important to understand the detailed rules of trademark protection in any given country. In particular you need to be aware that different countries have their own rules about what can and cannot be registered as to be a trademark and what specific remedies are available in case of infringement.

Here at the Trademarkroom we have been filling trademarks internationally for over 15 years. You can either file in the Madrid Protocol which has over 90 countries signed up to it or file directly in the country of your choice and we have global partners we have used for many years to ensure a smooth trademark application.

It's worth noting that if you wish to file through the Madrid Protocol then you need an EU or UK trademark in place first.

If you'd like to know more about filing a trademark overseas then contact us at Jane@trademarkroom.com and we happily provide a plan of action!