Jurisdictions

Trademark registration offers comprehensive brand protection but only in the country (or jurisdiction) in which it has been registered. This means that if you register your trademark in the UK, the legal right for mitigating brand infringement efforts in other countries (e.g. the US) is virtually non-existent. Careful consideration of the countries in which you operate, and plan to establish market presence in the future, is therefore crucial in achieving effective brand protection.

Each sovereign country has its own Intellectual Property Office through which a trademark application can be made. However, citizenship or nationality is one of the common requirements for applying for a trademark registration on one's own. This requirement can be overcome by collaborating with a trademark attorney domiciled in the particular country. Global trademark registration services, such as Trama, thereby offer a convenient solution for achieving brand protection on an international scale.

Several multi-country agreements have been formed, allowing entrepreneurs to achieve brand protection in several countries with a single trademark application. The table below presents an overview of the currently available multi-country applications.