Generally a trade mark must be protected on a country by country basis. One of the few exceptions is the European Community (or CTM) trade mark system, by which one can secure a single trade mark registration covering all twenty-seven countries of the European Union.

Registration does not provide exclusive rights in a trade mark for all goods and services. Rather, there are different 'classes' of business activity in which a trade mark might be registered, and when applying to register a mark it is important to identify the classes in which protection is required.

There is a total of 45 classes, with goods in classes 1 to 34 and services in classes 35 to 45. Click here for a full list of Trade Mark Classifications.

For brand owners seeking trade mark protection internationally, the Madrid Protocol (a system of co-operation between over eighty jurisdictions) can ease the process of applying for trade mark registration across a number of territories.

Under the Madrid Protocol treaty it is possible to file a single trade mark application seeking protection in some or even all of the member countries, although an applicant must already have a home registration or application for the trade mark in question (for British clients this can consist of either a UK or CTM application or registration).

The following are some of the main territories which are party to the Madrid Protocol system, while a full list of countries can be found here.

Australia

China

European Union

Japan

Norway

Republic of Korea

Singapore

Switzerland

Turkey

United States of America