Back to Length of the trademark registration process

How much does the length of the trademark registration process differ between countries?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

Registration length differs significantly between jurisdictions. In the fastest jurisdiction, the total registration period can be as short as 3 months, while in the slowest it can span up to 27 months for the same straightforward, uncontested application.

The fastest jurisdictions are BENELUX and France (at around 3 months each), the EU and Norway (around 4-6 months), and the UK, New Zealand, and Switzerland (around 5-6 months). On the other end of the spectrum are South Africa (27 months to full registration), Brazil (26 months to full registration), and Canada at around 20 months. The US typically sits somewhere in the middle with 12-15 months for an unchallenged application.

These figures reflect unchallenged applications. Any office action or opposition extends the timeline in any jurisdiction.

Related questions

12 good reasons for nutritional supplements providers to register a trademark

There is a myriad of reasons why trademark registration is of a crucial importance for the providers of nutritional supplements. This article presents a concise summary of 12 key reasons why every company in the nutritional supplements sector should think about registering for a trademark.

Stories of our clients: Cyber Expedite

“Our goal at Cyber Expedite™ is to modernise the cyber security service procurement industry, to help organisations answer one simple question: I know I need a security service; I just don’t know what to ask for and who provides that service. We put so much effort into trading names and reviewing web domain registrations etc, why would you not want to protect that?” Cyber Expedite, founded by Niall McEvoy, seeks to add value to every organisation by simplifying the scoping and delivery of cyber security solutions and services.

When should I register my trademark?

Timing is everything, and this is especially true when it comes to trademark registration. Choosing to trademark your brand at the right time is much more important than you would think.