International Trademark Filing Recovered Last Year

by Ulrika Lomas, LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

05 April 2011

It has been disclosed that international trademark activity recovered in 2010 with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) receiving almost 40,000 applications under the Madrid System for the International Registration of Trademarks, a 12.8% annual growth rate.

The largest growth in trademark applications was registered from South Korea (+42.2%), China (+42%), Italy (+38.7%), the US (+29.6%), the European Union (+26.9%) and Japan (+20.2%). Similarly, international trademark registrations were up 4.5% on 2009 with a total of 37,500 in 2010.

WIPO also recorded nearly 22,000 international trademark renewals in 2010, representing an increase of 14.1%. This, it was said, reflected the value of established brands at a time when consumers opt for goods that are tried and trusted.

International trademark activity has rebounded and has nearly recovered the ground lost in 2009, said WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry.

The EU accounted for over half of the international applications received, some 22,400, in 2010. This includes international applications filed through national trademark offices of the countries concerned and those filed through the Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM). Some 4,707 international applications were filed through OHIM in 2010 representing a 26.9% increase on figures for 2009.

Among major users, applicants in Germany ranked first, filing 5,000 international applications, representing 12.6% of the total. OHIM ranked second with 4,700 international applications reflecting a 26.9% increase on 2009 figures. Applicants based in the US accounted for more than 4,100 international applications, representing 10.4% of the total, and thereby became the third largest filer.

In submitting a trademark application, an applicant has to specify the goods or services to which the trademark will be applied. The most popular classes of goods and services in international trademark registrations recorded in 2010 included computer hardware and software (representing 8.5% of the total); clothing, footwear and headgear (5.4%); and pharmaceuticals and other preparations for medical purposes (5.1%).

Over 526,000 international registrations were active in the international register at the end of 2010, containing some 5.55 million active designations and representing a 2.2% increase relative to 2009. These registrations belong to 174,350 right holders who are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises.

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