Key figures
| Self-filed | Attorney-filed |
|---|---|---|
Applications (2025, direct filings) | 52,912 | 19,260 |
Share of filings | 73.31% | 26.69% |
Success rate | 91.1% | 95.7% |
Failure rate | 8.9% | 4.3% |
Across 72,172 direct applications filed in 2025, attorney-filed applications succeeded 4.6 percentage points more often. That corresponds to roughly 89 unsuccessful applications per 1,000 self-filed marks, compared with 43 per 1,000 attorney-filed marks. Attorney-filed Spanish applications recorded the highest success rate of any group in our seven-country analysis.
Registration success in Spain in context
With a self-filed success rate of 91.1% and an attorney-filed rate of 95.7%, Spain is one of the most favourable national offices in our dataset, comparable to the EUIPO. The high success rates help explain why so many Spanish businesses file on their own. In a system where most applications succeed, unsuccessful applications often come down to issues that clearance and careful drafting can identify in advance, such as an overlooked earlier right or a broadly defined specification.
Examination scope at the OEPM
The OEPM examines applications on absolute grounds only, assessing whether a mark is distinctive and whether the goods and services are properly described. Conflicts with earlier marks are raised by rights holders through opposition, not by the office itself.
This is one reason Spain records such high success rates for both self-filed and attorney-filed applications, and why its representation gap, at 4.6 percentage points, is close to the 5.2-point average for absolute-grounds offices in our analysis. With few applications refused on conflict grounds during examination, the main risk is an opposition based on an earlier Spanish or EU right. Clearance before filing is therefore where representation has the greatest effect, and it helps explain why attorney-filed Spanish applications recorded the highest success rate of any group in our analysis.
The local advantage for Spanish filings
For applicants from outside the EU, Spanish filings generally require an authorised local agent, and because conflicts with earlier Spanish and EU marks are raised through opposition, clearance before filing is the main safeguard. Through our local counsel network, Trama files directly with the OEPM and prepares each application to the office's standards from the start, with clearance and specifications drafted to minimise the risk of objections and oppositions. Businesses gain local expertise without having to find and manage Spanish counsel themselves, while partner firms can extend their clients' protection into Spain and continue to lead the strategy and the client relationship. Through our local counsel in 190 countries, Spanish, EU and other national filings can be coordinated through a single point of contact.
With more than 35,000 trademarks registered and an overall success rate of 96.90%, partnering with Trama provides the infrastructure to support businesses and law firms in Spain and beyond.
