The Community Trade Mark (or the CTM as it is often referred to) has been around since the “Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market” (OHIM) was set up in 1996.  After 20 years of us patiently explaining to people what the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market actually is, it has now changed its name. From tomorrow (23 March 2016), OHIM will become the “European Union Intellectual Property Office” (EUIPO) and will grant European Union Trade Marks (EUTM).

The registered Community Design will keep its name – no change there. 

Costs Reform

There are also slight changes to the official fee structure.  The filing fee is reduced by €50, if you only applying in one “class” of goods or services.  This means that our charge for filing an application in one class, assuming no official or third party objections, will be approximately £1300 (exclusive of VAT).  

For this cost, the EUTM registration will protect your trade mark in all the EU member states, which means it is very good value for money.

What if the UK leaves the EU?

At present, the attorneys at Downing IP are all officially listed as professional representatives before the EUIPO.  In the event of a Brexit, nothing will change there.

As regards the scope of EUTMs after a British withdrawal from the EU, that will be something for the governments to agree in the post-referendum negotiations called for by the Lisbon treaty.  In that event, we will be watching closely and keeping our clients up to date.

We’re also professional representatives before the European Patent Office (EPO), the UK Intellectual Property Office, and WIPO (for International Trade Marks).  This and our network of associates in other countries means we can help with patent, registered design, and trade mark applications in essentially any country.