An international trademark is a trademark that is registered in more than one jurisdiction the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization are two of many international trademark registries.
International trademarks are not just for businesses with operations outside the country; they can also be used by businesses with operations only within a single country, such as those with national distribution networks.
An international trademark can help protect a company’s intellectual property internationally and prevent it from being misused by others.
The process of registering an international trademark is different from the process for registering a standard U.S. trademark the owner of an international mark must file separate applications in each country where he or she wants protection, which means that each application must meet different requirements under local laws.
In contrast, to register a U.S. trademark, all you need to do is file one application with the USPTO if your application is accepted and issued, it will have protection in all countries that have agreements with the USPTO including Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Australia, Japan, and Russia among others.
How Does an International Trademark Work?
An international trademark is a trademark that has been submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization, it differs from a national trademark because it provides protection for your trademark in more than one country.
The rules about international trademarks are strict and restrictive for example, an international trademark must be registered with the USPTO or the WIPO before it can be used in any foreign territories, even if you are not filing to use it there.
Furthermore, when submitting an international trademark application to either agency, you will need to provide evidence of your ownership of the mark.
In other words, if you have been using the same name for your product or service for years and have no intention of changing it anytime soon, you cannot file for an international trademark with the USPTO or WIPO. You will need to create a completely new name for all countries where you want protection.
In addition, you may find that filing for an international trademark is more expensive than filing for a national one; however, this can vary depending on which country’s laws apply. The cost differential could also depend on how many countries are involved and how much time is needed to complete the process.
There’s no doubt that obtaining an international trademark is stricter than obtaining a national one; yet, doing so gives businesses greater legal protection outside their home territory.
The Benefits of Using an International Trademark
Internationally registered trademarks are the best form of protection for a business a trademark owner in one jurisdiction can apply for protection in any other country with no need to re-apply and pay again.
This process is called concurrent registration, and it can be done electronically by following certain steps specified by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
An international trademark is more difficult to infringe as it offers more legal and scholarly protection than a trademark that is only protected in a single country. It also has the advantage of being registered before anyone else can register your trademark, thus giving you priority over them.
It’s important to note that an international trademark does not replace national trademarks it simply means that the process is easier, cheaper, and faster because you don’t have to register your trademark individually for each country in which you want to protect it.
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