Substantial Reductions In CTM Official Fees

The European Community trade marks office (the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, or OHIM) has announced changes in its fee structure, to be implemented in early May. The rapid implementation of these fee changes has immediate implications for many applicants.  We set out below the actions that those who have Community Trade Mark applications (CTMs) might take at each stage, and recommend that anyone contemplating filing new CTM applications should proceed quickly.

Community Trade Mark registration fees will no longer be payable at the end of the registration procedure, saving applicants €850 (around US$1000).   This fee reduction is off-set by a small increase in application fees.    The new online official fee will be €900 (around US$1100),an increase of €150.  The net result is a 40% drop in official fees.