For IP professionals
This is the portal for professionals working in the field of intellectual property. Here you'll find direct access to all necessary resources.
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Modifying your application
There may be a number of reasons why your application has not been accepted:
- There may be formal deficiencies, e.g. your goods and services are not correctly classified (see The List of Goods and Services), or the representation of the trade mark is not sufficient.
- There may be substantive deficiencies, e.g. perhaps your trade mark is deceptive or isn’t distinctive (see Requirements for protection).
We'll inform you in writing about the nature of the problem. Please feel free to contact us. We'll work with you to find a solution so that your trade mark can be registered – for example, you may have to alter the trade mark or the list of goods and services. Associated correspondence or telephone calls do not incur any extra costs.
Good to know:
Trade mark applications can be modified free of charge during the registration process.
Please note, however, that certain amendments to your application will cause the filing date to be postponed.
If your trade mark fails to meet the legal requirements despite our joint efforts, we must conclusively reject your application.
For example:
The bicycle manufacturer Perrin applied to register the trade mark ‘Bicycle Star’ on 2 August 2023. However, the trade mark was rejected, as it was merely laudatory for the bicycles in question and therefore did not have a distinctive character. Perrin thus altered its trade mark free of charge to ‘Beltina Bicycle Star’ and notified us of this on 20 September 2023. Its application for registration was then approved. Consequently, the trade mark has been protected since 20 September 2023.