Jurisdictions
Ten places we prepare documents for and file in. Each page covers contracts, corporate, trademarks and employment essentials, names the kind of professional who signs off or files there, and lists every product available.
SingaporeIntellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)Hong KongIntellectual Property Department (IPD), Trade Marks RegistryJapanJapan Patent Office (JPO)TaiwanTaiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO)United StatesUnited States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)CanadaCanadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO)AustraliaIP AustraliaNew ZealandIntellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ)United KingdomUK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO)MaltaIndustrial Property Registrations Directorate, Commerce Department (national) and EUIPO (EU trade mark)
| Jurisdiction | Trademark system | Time to registration | Counterparty review | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | First to file. Rights arise from registration; an unregistered mark is protected only through the tort of passing off. | Approximately 6 to 12 months from filing to registration if no objection or opposition is raised; check the authority. | US$550 | a lawyer admitted in Singapore |
| Hong Kong | First to file under the Trade Marks Ordinance (Cap. 559). Unregistered marks are protected only through passing off. | Approximately 6 to 9 months from filing to registration where there is no deficiency, objection or opposition; check the authority. | US$550 | a solicitor admitted in Hong Kong |
| Japan | First to file. Registration confers the exclusive right; prior use gives only a limited defence where the mark is well known. | Approximately 6 to 12 months from filing to registration where there is no office action; an accelerated examination route exists for marks already in use. Check the authority. | US$650 | a 弁護士 |
| Taiwan | First to file. Protection arises from registration; an earlier user has a limited defence of good-faith prior use. | Approximately 6 to 8 months from filing to registration without office actions; an accelerated examination route exists. Check the authority. | US$590 | an attorney admitted in Taiwan |
| United States | Use-based. Rights arise from use in commerce; federal registration under the Lanham Act may be sought on the basis of use or a bona fide intent to use, but registration issues only after use is shown. | Approximately 12 to 18 months from filing to registration for a use-based application without office actions; intent-to-use applications take longer because a statement of use must be filed after allowance. Check the authority. | US$390 | an attorney admitted in the state |
| Canada | First to file since June 2019. Use is not required to register, but a registration may be expunged for non-use after three years (section 45). | Approximately 18 to 36 months from filing to registration; CIPO has carried an examination backlog for several years. Check the authority for current wait times. | US$450 | a lawyer called to the bar of BC or Ontario |
| Australia | First to file for registration, but ownership turns on first use or first application in Australia, and an earlier user may defeat or obtain removal of a later registration. | Examination usually takes 3 to 4 months. A mark cannot be registered earlier than about 7.5 months from filing because of the convention priority window and the opposition period, so approximately 8 to 12 months in total; check the authority. | US$490 | an Australian legal practitioner |
| New Zealand | First to file for registration, with ownership and prior-use arguments available to an earlier user in opposition and invalidity proceedings. | Examination usually produces a first report within about 15 working days. Registration cannot occur earlier than 6 months from filing, so approximately 6 to 9 months in total if there is no objection or opposition; check the authority. | US$490 | a New Zealand lawyer with a practising certificate |
| United Kingdom | First to file. Unregistered marks are protected only through passing off. | Approximately 3 to 4 months from application to registration if no objection or opposition is raised; check the authority. | US$450 | a solicitor of England and Wales |
| Malta | First to file under the Trademarks Act (Cap. 597), which transposes Directive (EU) 2015/2436. An EU trade mark registered at EUIPO covers Malta automatically. | National: approximately 6 to 8 months from filing to registration without deficiencies or opposition. EU trade mark: approximately 4 to 6 months unopposed. Check the authority. | US$490 | an advocate holding a Maltese warrant |
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