Starting 1 January 2019, the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) will introduce fee adjustments for trademark registrations. All fees will be indexed by an average of 1.5%. But that is not all: the tariff structure will also be changed. These changes will affect trademark applications.
Pay per class
Up to now, the BOIP makes use of the so-called ‘three classes for the price of one’ system. Only when a trademark is applied for in more than three classes, additional costs will be charged. Starting immediately on 1 January 2019, the current tariff structure will change to where the BOIP will apply a tariff per each separate class. That implies that a fee will be added for each additional class of goods or services above the first. The fees for each additional class however will be relatively cheap compared to a trademark application in one class only. The same fee structure is also in use by the European Trademark Office (EUIPO).
Official fees 2018
Trademark application in three classes – € 745
Official fees 2019
Trademark application in one class – € 599
Trademark application in two classes – € 794
Trademark application in three classes – € 989
What does this mean for you?
If you intend to apply for a trademark application in the Benelux for three (or more) classes in the short term, it will be more advantageous to do so before the end of this year. You can still make use of the current ‘three for the price of one’ system up to and including 31 December 2018.
Brexit
In view of the Brexit, some things will also change with regard to EU trademark applications and registrations. We will inform our clients within short. If trademark protection in the United Kingdom is of particular importance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us already.
Should you require additional information, please contact our trademark attorneys.
