Brexit triggers boom in trademark applications

According to research by Düsseldorf-based naming agency Nomen, the UK's exit from the European Union, which is scheduled for the end of March 2019, has triggered a boom in national trademark applications. Accordingly, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in London recorded an increase of 23 % in 2017 compared to the previous year, with one in ten applications now coming from abroad, compared to one in twenty in 2016. By comparison, the number of national trade mark applications in Germany rose by 5.3 % last year. The classes of goods and services with the most applications in the UK are:- Class 35 (Advertising and business management)- Class 41 (Education, sporting/cultural activities)- Class 09 (Electrical apparatus and instruments)- Class 25 (Clothing and footwear)- Class 42 (Scientific, technological services)

Union stamps lose their validity

"Apparently, more and more companies are following the European Commission's advice to additionally protect their brand names in the UK. As things stand at present, registered EU trademarks will lose their validity in the UK after March 30, 2019 or after a transitional period at the latest"comments Nomen Managing Director Sybille Kircher on the trend.

Companies should protect themselves in good time

EU trade marks are so popular because companies can obtain uniform trade mark protection in all countries of the European Union with a single application. Although this is not easy, as around 9 to 12 % of applications are rejected, demand is increasing despite the high hurdles. Most EU trade mark applications are filed by companies from Germany (2017: 21,912), followed by US companies (2017: 16,656). China also took off last year and is in third place with 12,198 applications. IR trade marks under the Madrid Protocol are also booming - they guarantee protection in over a hundred countries worldwide with one application. A new record was set in 2017 with 56,200 applications. The frontrunner was the United States, followed by Germany. China was again in 3rd place, registering over 36 % more IR trade marks than in the previous year.