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Regional systems
One filing, several countries. How the main regional routes work, and when each one makes sense.
Most countries register trademarks on their own. A few groups of countries share one office or one procedure. Whether that helps you depends on where you sell and what you already own.
| System | What it is | Where it works | Makes sense when | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid System run by WIPO |
One international application, based on a trademark you already have (or have applied for) in your home country. You extend it to the member countries you choose. | More than 110 members covering over 130 countries, including the EU, the US, the UK, China, Japan and Türkiye. | You want protection in several countries at once and already have a mark at home. | For five years the international registration depends on your home mark. If that mark falls, the whole registration can fall. Each country examines your mark under its own law and can refuse it. Our Madrid service. |
| EU trade mark EUIPO |
One application and one registration for all EU member countries. | The 27 EU member countries. | You sell, or plan to sell, in several EU countries. | The registration stands or falls as a whole. An earlier right in a single member country can be enough to stop the whole application. Opposition period: 3 months after publication. |
| Benelux BOIP |
One registration for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, filed with the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property. | Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. | Your market is limited to these three countries. | It does not cover other EU countries. Its official fee is lower than the EU trade mark's (see Prices). |
| OAPI African Intellectual Property Organization |
One filing gives protection in all member states. | 17 states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Republic of the), Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. | You want protection in several of these countries. | The registration covers all member states. You cannot choose only some of them. |
| ARIPO African Regional Intellectual Property Organization |
One application in which you name the states where you want protection, under the Banjul Protocol on Marks. | Only member states that have joined the Banjul Protocol. ARIPO publishes the list. | You want protection in a chosen group of these countries. | Each state you name can still refuse the mark. Not every ARIPO member is covered for trademarks. |
Which one fits?
- You sell in one country: file there directly. See Countries and Prices.
- You sell in several EU countries: the EU trade mark. Only in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg: Benelux.
- You want several countries on different continents and already have a mark at home: Madrid. Countries that are not Madrid members still need their own filing.
- You want protection in parts of Africa: OAPI for its member states, ARIPO for a chosen group of its members.
- Not sure? Ask us. We usually start with a search and then propose a plan.
Eurasian Economic Union
There is no single trademark registration for the Eurasian Economic Union. A trademark in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Russia is registered country by country. Ask us if you need protection there.
Official sources: WIPO Madrid System · EUIPO · BOIP · OAPI · ARIPO. This page is general information and is not legal advice.
