- You can file an international application through the USPTO if your trademark is registered with the USPTO, or you filed an application for registration with the USPTO.
- You are a national of, or domiciled in, the United States, or have an industrial or commercial business in the United States.
- The international application must list the same mark and same owner as the U.S. registration or application.
- The list of goods and services in the international application must be the same as or narrower than the list of goods and services in the U.S. registration or application.
- You must pay a U.S. certification fee when you submit the international application. The U.S. certification fee is $100 per class of goods/services.
- You must identify at least one other country where you want to extend your trademark protection. The other country must be a member of the Madrid Protocol.
1. Contact Us
Contact us to schedule your free international trademark consultation. We can be reached at 1 800-651-7301, via email at info@trademarkattorneyslosangeles.com, or through our contact form at the bottom of this page. If you fill out the contact form, one of our attorneys will get back to you within 24 hours of your submission to schedule a phone consultation, virtual meeting, or an in-person meeting with you. During the trademark consultation, a U.S. licensed attorney will explain the international trademark registration process to you and answer any questions you may have.
2. Prepare and file an international trademark application with the USPTO
We prepare and file your international trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The USPTO will check to see whether your international trademark application complies with their filing requirements. If it complies, the USPTO will certify the international trademark application and forward it to the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization, or “WIPO”, for further processing.
WIPO will check to see if your international application complies with their formal requirements. For example, WIPO might look to see if your international application contains sufficient contact details, has a designation of at least one member country, has high quality images, and that the required fees are paid. If it complies, WIPO will notify the trademark office of each country. If, however, the application does not comply with WIPO’s formal requirements, WIPO will send you and the USPTO an “irregularity notice” explaining how to correct the issue within a given time limit. Each foreign country designated in the international trademark application will review the application using the same standards that apply to other trademark applications filed in that country.
3. Liaise with Foreign Law Firms
Each country has its own laws regarding what types of trademarks can be registered and, therefore, foreign counsel may be required to assist in prosecuting the international application. We’ve partnered with foreign counsel that we trust and that provide our clients with the best foreign registration prices.
4. Trademark is Registered Internationally
If everything goes right, your trademark will be registered in the countries designated in your international trademark application.