Key figures
| Self-filed | Attorney-filed |
|---|---|---|
Applications (2025, direct filings) | 7,588 | 12,092 |
Share of filings | 38.6% | 61.4% |
Success rate | 86.5% | 91.2% |
Failure rate | 13.5% | 8.8% |
Across 19,680 direct applications filed in 2025, attorney-filed applications succeeded 4.7 percentage points more often, and self-filed applications were about 1.5 times as likely to be unsuccessful.
General chance of registration success in Switzerland
Our earlier analysis of IPI applications covered all applications filed between 2019 and 2023 and found an average success rate of 80.43%, rising to around 87% for applications filed in 2022 and 2023. The data in this article covers direct national filings only.
Although the two datasets are not directly comparable, both give a consistent general picture of the IPI as an office with relatively high success rates, and the new figures are in line with the upward trend seen in the most recent years of the earlier analysis.
Examination scope at the IPI
The IPI examines applications on absolute grounds only, assessing distinctiveness, descriptiveness and the description of goods and services. Conflicts with earlier marks are not raised by the office itself; they are left to rights holders, who can oppose after publication.
Because examination focuses on registrability rather than conflicts, the representation gap in Switzerland is relatively modest, at 4.7 percentage points, in line with the 5.2-point average for absolute-grounds offices in our analysis. That does not make examination straightforward. The IPI applies a comparatively strict distinctiveness standard across four national languages, so objections that are raised tend to turn on registrability arguments, and pre-filing assessment of the mark in each language is where representation adds the most value.
The local advantage for Swiss filings
For brands that need protection in Switzerland alongside the EU, Swiss filings add a separate procedure with its own distinctiveness standards. Through our local counsel network, Trama files directly with the IPI, provides a Swiss address for service and prepares each application to the office's standards from the start, with marks assessed across Switzerland's national languages to minimise the risk of objections. Businesses gain local expertise without having to find and manage Swiss counsel themselves, while partner firms can extend their clients' protection into Switzerland and continue to lead the strategy and the client relationship. Through our local counsel in more than 190 countries, Swiss, 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 Switzerland and beyond.
