Community trade marks and designs are pan-European intellectual property rights having protection throughout the 27 Member States of the European Union and providing and regulating access to the European single market. They are administered by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), an agency of the European Union based in Alicante, Spain, and are obtained through a single application, avoiding the costs and administrative burden associated with multiple national registrations.The attractiveness of Community trade marks and designs will also increase further as the European Union expands (including, as is expected, with the accession of Croatia in 2013).

Our Alicante team advises clients on all matters related to OHIM and Community trade marks and designs. This includes initial clearance and market entry strategies for the European Union, protection and enforcement of Community trade marks and designs, as well as litigation before the European Courts in Luxembourg. Our team also advises on global trade mark and design strategies.

• Specialization and expertise in Community trade mark and design law at the highest level
• Close liaison and interaction with OHIM and its officials
• Central point of contact for brand owners entering the European market
• Advanced know-how in proceedings before the General Court of the European Union and the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg
• Establishing capacity for OHIM’s new competencies, including:
  - central fight against trade mark and design piracy; and
  - IP mediation.
• Attractive fee structure
• International team, including former OHIM staff
• Ability to work in all official OHIM languages

• Community trade mark and design proceedings before OHIM
• Global trade mark strategies
• Proceedings before the Courts of the European Union in Luxembourg
• Customs and anti-counterfeiting
• Trade mark portfolio management
• Pan-European trade mark searches
• Negotiations and IP agreements
• Multi-jurisdiction litigation and enforcement strategies
• Innovative trade mark protection (3D marks, colour marks, position marks etc.)