Not all trade marks are accepted straight away. The trade mark must be refused if it conflicts with an earlier right or is a simple descriptive or laudatory term. Once accepted, the application is published for opposition in the Trade Marks Journal for three months. If no objection arises, the mark is registered. Third party objection will increase the cost.
Rights remain in force for ten years renewable indefinitely at ten year intervals.
All registrations handled by us are entered into our computerized diary system. In more detail A Community Trade Mark covers all fifteen member states of the European Union. This compares very favourably with the cost of seeking protection in each individual member state of the European Union. Registration must be refused if the trade mark is a simple descriptive or laudatory term. We are allowed to argue against any formal objection.