Save on EU trade mark costs
20/04/2009

If you have been considering registering your marks in the European Union, now is the time to do so!

Trade mark owners have a small window of opportunity to file applications before the application fee is increased.

A new fee structure for Community trade marks (covering the European Union member states) is set to come into operation on 1 May 2009.

There will no longer be a registration fee for CTM applications filed on or after this date, or for applications still pending on that date if the Trade Marks and Designs Registration Office has not yet set a date for the payment of the registration fees.

International registrations designating the CTM will also benefit from the fee reduction.

The latter is interpreted to mean that no application filed up to May 2009 will have to incur a registration fee.

It is likely that, with the abolition of the registration fee, the Office will increase the official filing fee by about 20%, but this increase will come into effect only after the abolition of the registration fee.
Megan Moerdijk
Partner
megan-m@adamsadams.co.za
Adams & Adams
14 April 2009