Registering a trade mark protects it from free riders. It’s a popular procedure with almost 17,000 national trade marks being registered by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) in 2019 alone. It currently takes an average of up to five months to examine an application, although an early trade mark examination can significantly speed up the procedure. Applications that are seemingly straightforward are examined within six working days. If they pass the examination, the trade mark applied for is then registered.
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How to register your trade mark faster
Anyone applying for a trade mark in Switzerland can speed up the procedure considerably. This is possible with the early trade mark examination. We show you what’s key.
By taking care when filing your trade mark application, you can take advantage of the fast-track route and register your trade mark faster. Photo: iStock
Over 30% of applicants already take advantage of the fast track
Up to 65% of applicants are already taking advantage of the early trade mark examination. This corresponds to about 950 applications per month. Of these, 35% are also registered within six working days after passing the examination. In order to use this fast-track application procedure, the trade mark must be applied for online using eTrademark with special attention needing to be taken when filling in the trade mark application.
Score points with the list of goods and services
It is the list of goods and services (LGS) that decides whether a trade mark application is examined via the fast-track route. The applicant decides for which goods and services they want to protect their trade mark, and if their application primarily consists of terms that are considered accepted terms in the classification tool, then the application qualifies for an early trade mark examination. Otherwise, the application will undergo the usual examination procedure.
Before submitting the application in eTrademark, it is worth taking a closer look at it because any incorrect terms in the LGS will be clearly indicated. A maximum of three of these terms may be marked in red, meaning that this is your last opportunity to correct the LGS for your application to qualify for the fast-track route.
Further information on the application: protecting your trade mark
Registering your trade mark faster
- Protect your trade mark by applying to register it
- The registration process can take up to five months
- An early trade mark examination saves time
- A pre-requisite for the fast-track route is correctly filling in the list of goods and services (LGS)
- The application must also be seemingly straightforward
