Welcome to Community Trade Marks
SERVICE OF COMMUNITY TRADEMARKS (CTM) IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
PROVIDED FOR APPLICANTS WORLDWIDE AND FOR PROFESSIONALS OUTSIDE THE EU
GUIDELINES TO OHIM SERVICES
General Information
Here you can file trademark applications or renewal of CTMs before the OHIM (OHIM = Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market) with legal representation and electronic service of Georg Pintz & Partners Patent and Trademark Attorneys, European Union. Representation before the OHIM is compulsory for applicants outside the European Union, and advisable within the Union.
You can save a lot of money through this e-service. Georg Pintz & Partners will take care of all the formalities required to register your trademark. If you are considering to file an international registration through WIPO: check out the advantages of direct CTM filing here.
After having filled in and sent the forms you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt of your application. The trademark attorneys of Georg Pintz & Partners handle and check the applications and within a few days forward them to the OHIM. If you are planning to file a new application, please note that Georg Pintz & Partners does not conduct a search for previous conflicting trademarks unless you order such a service.
Filing - "What form should I choose?"
You can choose a professional surface, and a standard or beginner’s surface of filing. On the standard surface you can find detailed explanation and there is an assistance for finding the appropriate goods/services in other languages as well. So you can make no mistakes when choosing the appropriate goods/services. When we receive your application we check if the mark you want to get registered has any distinctive character in relation with the goods/services you chose and if we find that it has absolutely not, we notify you. Therefore individuals who are not professionals are suggested to choose the standard surface. On the professional surface however, it is your responsibility that the mark you pick should meet the legal requirements of registration (e.g. it must have distinctive character regarding the goods/services), and that you choose the appropriate goods/services.
Fees
New application
The basic service fee is EUR 145, which includes 3 classes. Over 3 classes you must pay a fee of EUR 95 for each additional class. The basic official fee at electronic filing is EUR 900, which includes 3 classes. If your application covers more than 3 classes you must pay a fee for EUR 150 for each additional class. The disbursements are EUR 45. Please note that these are only the filing fees, there are some other fees as well, e.g. for checking the documents at the end of the registration process or in the case of claiming priority (please see the Business conditions). You can pay with bank cards VISA and Mastercard, or via bank transfer.
Renewal
Reporting renewal, checking document and forwarding Certificate costs EUR 60. The basic service fee is EUR 55, which includes 3 classes. The basic official fee is EUR 1350, which includes 3 classes. If your application covers more than 3 classes you must pay a fee for EUR 400 official fee and EUR 25 service fee for each additional class. Taking over the representation costs EUR 80 if any. The disbursements are EUR 45 in general. You can pay with bank cards VISA and Mastercard, or via bank transfer.Assignment, Change of address/nameOHIM acknowledges any changes regarding the owner or applicant after recordal of the new data. Please use the menu “Assignment” even if it is only a change of address. The basic service fee is EUR 85. Taking over the representation costs EUR 80 if any. The disbursements are EUR 45 in general. There is no official fee. It is possible to request the recordal of more than one trademark in one authorization in case the same persons are involved. Georg Pintz & Partners offer band discount in these cases. At 3-10 trademarks the basic service fee is EUR 45, taking over the representation costs EUR 40 if any, the disbursements are EUR 15. From 11 trademarks the basic service fee is only EUR 15, taking over the representation costs EUR 20 if any, the disbursements are EUR 5.OppositionThe OHIM carries out partial search for earlier trademarks however does not examine them. Since existence of earlier similar mark may constitute relative ground for refusal, the holder of the earlier trademark may hinder the registration. The opposition is provided therefore. It can be submitted within 3 months after the day of publication of the CTM application. This publication should be observed by the holder. Trademark watching helps this monitoring. Generally after 5 years from the registration proof for the use of the earlier mark may be requested in connection with goods/services the opposition is based upon.The opposition procedure involves several phases. First part is the official examination on the acceptance of the opposition. Secondly, there is a 2 months period for parties to seek negotiations and make a settlement. This is the “cooling off” period. This period of time can be extended by additional 2 months upon a joint request from the parties. The adversarial part of the proceeding starts with the end of this period. In the next phase the opponent is given 2 months to submit evidences and observations. Then the applicant is given 2 months for reply. The OHIM issues its resolution after that. In case the use of the earlier mark is questioned, usually there is one more exchange of documents.The basic service fee is EUR 295, the official fee is EUR 350. Taking over the representation costs 80 EUR, if any. The disbursements are EUR 45. Please note that these are only the filing fees. As the procedure moves on, further costs occur. We charge at hourly rates (180 EUR/hour).
