Trademark FAQs

Time frames vary country by country. A straightforward registration process, if a trademark application does not receive any objections or third party oppositions, can take as little as two weeks in Lebanon or as long as 2 years in Indonesia.

For information regarding expected time frames in specific countries please visit our country pages here.

In order to file a trademark, the following information is required:

- The denomination that is to be registered or an image of the trademark if it has figurative elements.

- The class(es) number(s) in which the trademark is to be filed.

- A description of goods or services that correspond to the class or classes in which the trademark is to be filed.

- The full details of the owner of the trademark: full name, company type if the owner is a company, and full address. Some countries require a copy of the certificate of incorporation, passport or identification of the owner.

- The full details of the local agent or attorney who is to represent the owner in trademark-related matters.

Depending on the country, a Power of Attorney (POA) may be required. Some countries do not require them, but a lot do. In case a Power of Attorney is needed, it must comply with different requirements depending on the nature of the owner and might need legalization and/or notarization depending on the country. 

Whether or not a Power of Attorney is necessary will depend on the country. With iGERENT, when a POA document is needed, you will receive a template with clear instructions on how it must be filled out along with instructions regarding notarization or legalization requirements, if relevant.

Please consider the following as examples of some of the different requirements that Power of Attorney documents must comply with in different countries:

Australia – No Power of Attorney is required for filing a trademark.

South Korea – A simple scanned copy of a signed Power of Attorney is enough to apply for a trademark. 

China – A simple scanned copy of a signed Power of Attorney and a scanned copy of the owner’s passport or certificate of incorporation, depending on if the owner is a natural person or a legal entity, is enough to apply for a trademark.

Indonesia – An original signed Power of Attorney must be sent by mail to our local agents.

Costa Rica – An original signed and notarized Power of Attorney must be sent to our local agents.

United Arab Emirates – An original signed, notarized and legalized Power of Attorney must be sent to our local agents.

In some cases, if both the country where the trademark is going to be registered and the country of origin of the applicant are members of the Apostille Convention, requirements in regards to notarization or legalization may be reduced.

In most countries, it is not possible to request the acceleration of a trademark registration process. Nevertheless, in some countries this option is available. It is important to note that the acceleration process involves the payment of additional fees.

Please be advised that in some countries and jurisdictions, like Germany and Benelux, in the case of an accelerated registration process, the trademark is registered and published after the formalities have been checked. Nevertheless, the mark could still be refused after the registration on absolute grounds or due to a successful opposition.

The main benefit of the acceleration process is that it allows a trademark to be registered in a very short time, which may provide economic advantages.
In the following list you will find the countries where it is possible to request an accelerated registration process for a trademark:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belarus
• Benelux
• European Union
• Georgia
• Germany
• Italy
• Kosovo
• Lithuania
• Norway
• Serbia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Ukraine