Registration · International trademark registration
Protect your trademark outside the European Union
An international registration extends your trademark to the countries you choose, through the Madrid System run by WIPO or through national applications filed by correspondent agents. We start from your OSIM or EUIPO mark, which becomes the basic mark, and designate the countries you need. The cost depends on the countries and classes, so we send you a quote once the list is settled.
Registration through the Madrid System (WIPO) and national filings through correspondent agents, in the countries where you sell.
Your first consultation is free.
Who it’s for
This is for you if…
- You export or have distributors outside the EU
- You sell online in the UK, the US, Switzerland or Moldova
- You already have the mark at OSIM or EUIPO and want to use it as the base
- You're negotiating with a foreign partner who wants the mark registered in their country
What’s included
What we do for you
- Choosing the route for each country: Madrid System or national filing
- Preparing the international application through the office of origin (OSIM or EUIPO)
- Calculating WIPO fees for each designated country
- Coordinating correspondent agents for countries outside the Madrid System and for local responses
- Tracking provisional refusals issued by national offices
- Subsequent designations when you add new countries
How it works
The steps, one by one
Step 1: The country list
We start from the markets where you sell now and those you plan to enter in the next 2 to 3 years.
Step 2: The quote
We send you an itemised cost: WIPO fees, national fees and professional fees, including the correspondents'.
Step 3: Filing
The international application is filed through the office that holds the basic mark and goes to WIPO in Geneva.
Step 4: Examination in each country
Each designated office examines the mark under its own law and may issue a provisional refusal. For local responses we work with correspondents.
Typical time: usually 12–18 months
Step 5: Protection
The mark is protected in every country that hasn't refused it. The international registration is renewed centrally at WIPO every 10 years.
International trademark registration
How the Madrid System works
The Madrid System is the international treaty run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). You file one application, in one language, pay the fees in Swiss francs and designate the member countries you need.
- You need a basic mark: an application or registration at OSIM or EUIPO. The international application is filed through that office.
- You pick the designated countries in the application, and can add more later through a subsequent designation.
- WIPO only checks formalities. Each country decides under its own law whether to accept the mark.
- For the first 5 years, the international registration depends on the basic mark. If the basic mark falls, for example after an opposition, the international protection falls with it, though you can convert it into national applications and keep the date.
The fees add up from a basic fee and a fee for each designated country. They usually come out lower than the total of separate national applications, especially when you designate many countries.
International trademark registration
Countries outside the Madrid System
A few markets aren't part of the Madrid System, Argentina for example. In others, a national application is safer or your partner insists on one. There we file through our network of correspondent agents: local industrial property firms we work with directly. You deal with one contact, us, and we coordinate the correspondent, the translations and the deadlines.
Documents
What we need from you
- The number of your basic application or registration at OSIM or EUIPO
- The list of countries where you want protection
- The list of goods and services (it can't be broader than the basic mark's)
- A power of attorney for Brand New IP and, for some countries, documents the local correspondent requires
Frequently asked questions
Questions about international trademark registration
What is the Madrid System for trademarks?
The Madrid System is the international treaty run by WIPO that lets you protect a trademark in several countries with one application, in one language, with fees paid in one currency. You start from a basic mark at OSIM or EUIPO and designate the member countries where you want protection. Each country then examines the mark under its own law.
How much does an international trademark registration cost?
It depends on the designated countries and the number of classes. The cost adds up from WIPO's basic fee, a fee per country (some countries charge higher individual fees), our fee and, where needed, correspondent agents' fees. We don't have a fixed price, because two applications are rarely alike. We send you a detailed quote once the country list is agreed.
Can I register internationally without a Romanian or EU trademark?
Not through the Madrid System: you need a basic mark, meaning an application or registration with your home office, which for a Romanian business is OSIM or EUIPO. The basic and international applications can be prepared at the same time. If you don't want a Romanian mark, the alternative is direct national applications in each country, through correspondents.
Is an international trademark valid worldwide?
No trademark is automatically valid everywhere. An international registration covers only the countries you designate that don't refuse the mark. Each country applies its own rules, so a mark can be accepted in Switzerland and refused in, say, Japan. We pick countries based on your real markets, so you don't pay for protection you don't need.
How do you work with correspondent agents outside the EU?
For countries outside the EU we work with local industrial property firms. They file the national applications, answer local office objections and pass communications back to us. You only deal with us, in Romanian or English. Your quote includes their fees, and we report the status in each country to you.
Related services
- EU trademark registration (EUIPO)We file your EU trademark with EUIPO and follow it through to registration. A fixed fee with one Nice class included.
- Trademark registration at OSIMWe file your application with OSIM and follow it to the certificate. A fixed fee, the same for every type of mark.
- Trademark watchA watch subscription covering OSIM, EUIPO and WIPO. We alert you, assess the risk and file oppositions on time.
Let’s talk about your trademark.
The first consultation is free. We’ll tell you honestly what can be protected, how and what it costs, before you pay anything.