We have gathered frequently asked questions we get from our clients on this page, so you can get answers regarding the differences between patents and trademarks, why trademarks need to be registered in different countries, whether registration requires a trademark attorney amongst other things.
If you have any further questions, please book a non-committal meeting with one of our trademark attorneys.
A trademark is a symbol used to identify a product or a service. Your brand is the symbol that your customers identify you with and that separates your products from those of your competitors.
Your brand is therefore of great value to your business.
When you have a strong product or a well-known brand, there is a high risk that others will try to copy it and sell similar products in your name, thus benefitting from your clients’ trust in your products.
If you have not secured the exclusive right to your brand's unique characteristics, you may have no other choice that than watch while others make money off your brand – and possibly worse; like see your brand being damaged by disappointing inferior products. With a registrated trademark, on the other hand, you may require the copyists be stopped and prosecuted.
Therefore, we recommend all companies register their trademarks. Do you want a non-committal offer on how we can protect your business ideas?
Generally, you need to apply for a patent if you want to earn the right to protect a unique inventive technology, while a trademark provides protection for your brand identifier - such as a name or a logo - that is unique to your product.
There is, of course, a more detailed explanation for the technical and strategic considerations for obtaining patent or trademark protection.
If your company is planning on expanding sales in other countries or on producing products abroad, it's time to become more strategic with your patents and trademarks.
You can start by seeing if your idea is registered as a trademark in Denmark on the Danish Patent and Trademark Office's website.
If the idea is available, the next step is to complete your trademark application. This can also be done online through the Patent and Trademark Office, by specifying the type of trademark you wish to register.
Even if your idea is available in Denmark, an existing European or international trademark protection may prevent you from using it.
If you have any questions about your trademark application ask one of our trademark consultants.
You should register your trademarks in the countries where your business has commercial interests - not just in countries where you want to sell the product:
> The countries where the company sells its products
> The country where the company is headquartered
> The countries where the company produces goods
If you have only registered your trademark in Denmark because this is where your products must be sold but your product is manufactured in China where you did not register your trademark, there is a risk that someone else registers your trademark in the country of production.
Consequently, you may find yourself in the position where you are forced to buy back said right at a premium.
Therefore, it is important that you have a thorough strategy on how to protect your trademarks from the start.
Book one of our consultants for a non-committal meeting if you wish to have input to your trademark strategy.
The cost of a trademark registration depends on where your trademark protection should apply. You can choose to register your trademark in each country in which you operate or secure an overall European protection.
At Chas. Hude a trademark registration in a single European country costs DKK 5,950, while trademark protection covering the whole of Europe costs DKK 10,500 - just under double the cost of a single country.
Get a non-binding offer to protect your trademarks.
No. You can easily register your trademark yourself. However, you must be aware that each trademark must be registered separately, and that process can be both complicated and time consuming.
Would you like a non-binding offer to register your trademarks?
Talk to one of our consultants; they will assess the possibilities of your invention and will ask you the right business-relevant questions.
Together we will build the protection that best suits you and your business. And remember, the first meeting is free of charge.