Community trade mark (CTM) registrations by class (Nice classification)

Description

Eurostat Dataset Id:ipr_tr_cl

Intellectual property refers broadly to the creations of the human mind. Intellectual property rights protect the interests of creators by giving them property rights over their creations.

Trademark and Designs constitute means by which creators seek protection for their industrial property. Trademark and Designs reflect the non-technological innovation in every sector of economic life, including services. In this context, indicators based on Trademark and Design data can provide a link between innovation and the market.

Trade marks such as words or figurative marks are an essential part of the “identity” of goods and services. They help deliver brand recognition, in logos for example, and play an important role in marketing and communication. It is possible to register a variety of trademarks including words, other graphical representations, and even sounds. Rights owners have a choice of obtaining protection on a country-by-country basis, or using international systems.

A design is the outward appearance of a product or part of it, resulting from the lines, contours, colours, shape, texture, materials and/or its ornamentation. The design or shape of a product can be synonymous with the branding and image of a company and can become an asset with increasing monetary value.

This domain provides users with data concerning Community Trademarks and Designs. Community Trademarks and Design refer to trade mark and design protections throughout the European Union, which covers 28 countries. The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) is the official office of the European Union for the registration of Community Trademarks and Designs.

A Community trade mark is an exclusive right that protects distinctive signs, valid across the EU, registered directly with OHIM in Alicante in accordance with the conditions specified in the CTM Regulations (Source: OHIM).

A registered Community design (RCD) is an exclusive right that covers the outward appearance of a product or part of it. The fact that the right is registered confers on the design great certainty should infringement occur. An RCD initially has a life of five years from the filing date and can be renewed in blocks of five years up to a maximum of 25 years. Applicants may market a design for up to 12 months before filing for an RCD without destroying its novelty (Source: OHIM).