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May 6th, 2009 Europe, Trademarks none Comments

The European Commission has enacted a 40% reduction in the official fees required to obtain a Community Trade Mark by merging the application and registration fees. Previously an application fee was paid at the start of the registration process and an additional fee was paid once the registration was granted. Effective May 1, 2009, the registration fee portion has been eliminated for all pending and future applications. The current total official fees for a CTM application are € 1,050.00 for a paper application and € 900 for an electronic application. Effective August 1, 2009, the official fee for a CTM international application under the Madrid Protocol will be reduced to € 870.00.

This change reflects a desire to encourage great use of the CTM system by small and mid-size firms. “As a non-profit-making European agency, we have been trying to play our part in providing value for money in this essential service. Taking into account the earlier cut in trade mark fees in 2005, through efficiency measures and greater use of computer technology we have been able to more than halve the cost of Community trade marks over a five year period.”