Brands - After Registration
Upon registration, the details of the registration and its owner are entered on the trade marks register. Third parties can search the register in order to check whether particular marks are available for use. A registration thus alerts third parties to the existence and ownership of trade mark rights.
There is no formal record of unregistered marks, making their existence and ownership uncertain.
It is estimated that in the region of 30% of research and development conducted in Europe is wasted
on products, which already exist. Early filing deters competitors from pirating the Mark.
Owners of trade marks need to be vigilant to ensure that their marks are not being used by third parties. We recommend subscribing to a name watching service, which will alert you to applications made for the identical or similar trade mark in the jurisdictions where you trade. This is particularly important as the Community System will accept the same trade mark in the name of various owners, for the same or similar goods/services.