Trademark Protection Fees Lowered In Europe

by Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

19 October 2005

The European Commission announced on Monday that it has decided to lower the fees payable to the Community agency responsible for granting EU-wide trademark rights, the OHIM (Office for the Harmonization in the Internal Market).

This measure will make intellectual property protection cheaper for businesses operating in the EU single market, saving them between €37 and €40 million a year.

Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy announced that: “I welcome this reduction in fees. It’s great news for businesses, who will now be able to get EU-wide trademark protection at very attractive rates, especially if they do it online. It will also stimulate economic activity in this sector."

"OHIM is showing that, like the businesses it serves, it is keenly aware of the need to run its affairs efficiently and offer value for money.”

The reductions include:

• A lowering of the Community trade mark (CTM) application fee from € 975 to € 900;
• A lowering of the CTM registration fee from € 1100 to € 850; and
• A lowering of the fee for renewing the registration of a CTM from € 2500 to € 1500.

The fee reductions will enter into force before 1 November 2005.

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