1. Principles of trademark law
National Trademarks:
Trademark protection in Switzerland is based on registration. Trademarks must be registered in the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) located in Bern.
International Trademarks:
Under the Madrid Agreement or the Madrid Protocol, Swiss trademark protection may be extended to other contracting countries of the Madrid system. Only applications for international registration under the Madrid system may be filed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. Direct applications or regional filings must be made to the office in the relevant location.
Community Trademarks
As Switzerland is not a member of the European Community, the community trademark as well as other regional trademarks cannot be registered in the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. Hence, the Trademark applications must be filed directly with the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs),
