International Trademark Registration

The process

1. Consultation. Non-obligatory consultation with our specialist to discuss your requirements and the eligibility of your mark for registration. We perform a free precursory search to check feasibility and determine the classification best suited to your mark. Some countries require the agent to be appointed before a search can proceed.
2. Appointment. Appointment of JK Marcam as your trademark management partner. This allows us to act and respond on your behalf to trademark offices on trademark matters.
3. Assessment. We prepare a comprehensive assessment report to identify potential conflicts and objections and determine your mark’s goods and services classification, then hold a final round of discussion to prepare your mark for filing. In some countries documents such as statutory declarations or notarisations have to be prepared.
4. Official filing. Via the Madrid System, we file from Singapore by designation from the country of origin; it may take up to a month for the application to be transmitted to WIPO. Via direct filing, we file directly with the national trademark office and prepare and manage any local documents required; it may take up to a week depending on document requirements. We liaise with the trademark offices on all matters relating to your registration and respond to office actions.
5. Approval. We follow through until the completion of registration and notify you of all updates along the way. Foreign registrations may take 12 to 36 months depending on the country.

What’s included

The following is included in every international trademark registration with JK Marcam:

• Trademark registration in the selected class
• Trademark search in the selected class
• WIPO and local authority filing fees
• Responses to non-substantive IP office actions, free of charge

Registration methods

1. Madrid: the international trademark system

The Madrid System is a convenient and cost-effective solution for registering and managing trademarks worldwide. File a single application and pay one set of fees to apply for protection in the member countries you choose, and modify, renew or expand your portfolio through one centralised system.

The Madrid System currently has 117 members covering 133 countries, with new members joining each year.

This route suits you if your home country, the country of residence or incorporation, is a member of the Madrid Protocol, as Singapore is.

2. Direct filing

Direct filing is used in countries that are not in the Madrid System, or when you only need to register your mark in one particular country.

The hardest part of direct filing is usually navigating the documents in the local language and understanding the filing procedure as a foreigner, which also makes it harder to find out whether your intended mark has already been registered by someone else. Additional documents are often required: statutory declarations, notarised documents, the applicant’s passport or proof of company registration, and others as the country requires.

We manage the local requirements, language and documentation for you, so your registration is filed without a hitch and you deal with one firm, in Singapore, throughout.

Requirements for your trademark

To register your trademark, it must:

• Be able to be represented graphically (in terms of a logo)
• Be capable of distinguishing your goods or services from others
• Be distinctive
• Not be descriptive of the goods or services, or customary in current language or established practices of the trade
• Not be confusingly similar to an existing trademark on the register

What we require

To proceed with an international trademark registration, we will require the following:

• The trademark(s) in a high-resolution image file.
• A description of the applicant company summarising its intended business activities. This should cover all the goods and services provided by your company that are to be protected by the trademark.
• Payment of the applicable fees by bank transfer or cheque payable to JK MARCAM LLP.

Kindly note that documentation requirements differ between countries. Where a country requires a local representative, we appoint and manage one for you.

Duration of trademark protection

In most countries, the registration of a trademark is valid for 10 years from the filing date of the application. Protection can last indefinitely subject to the payment of renewal fees every 10 years, and with proper use of the mark. Please enquire for prevailing service rates.