Brealant offers EUIPO trademarks and designs registration, which cover most countries in Europe. Currently the 28 member countries of the EU are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,and the United Kingdom.
A European Union trade mark (EUTM) grants you exclusive rights in all current and future Member States of the European Union through a single registration. It is valid for 10 years and can be renewed indefinitely, 10 years at a time for each renewal.
On the other side, a design is the appearance of a product: its shape, patterns and colors. The difference with patents is that a patent covers the function, operation or construction of an invention. A patent may be granted for any invention, in all fields of technology, provided that it is new, involves an inventive step and is susceptible of industrial application. But a design only covers the appearance of a product. A design does not protect the function of a product, unlike patents.
When protecting a product with both a patent and a design registration, the timing of the applications will be crucial, as it must be ensured that the publishing of one or other of the rights does not preclude the finding of novelty for the other application. For more information about patents, please consult the European Patent Register (EPO).