What is an EU trademark?

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), previously known as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, manages the EU trademark (EUTM), which was referred to as the Community Trade Mark (CTM) until March 2016. An EUTM is a trademark registration that is valid across the entire EU, rather than being recognized on a country-by-country basis. Applicants do not need to live in an EU member country to apply for an EUTM.

The countries that participate in this community registration are members of the European Union, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. The United Kingdom was also part of this system before its departure from the EU.

CTMs, like national trademarks, protect the property rights of their owners. They are more cost-effective than obtaining a national trademark in each member country and cover up to three trademark classes. The requirements for a mark's graphical representation accommodate new technologies and non-traditional marks, such as holograms.