This article is divided in three documents : - European approach (1); - International Trademarks (2) and - French approach(3).

The Community trade mark is unitary in nature , i.e. it is valid everywhere in the European Community, and gives proprietors exclusive rights enabling them to prohibit any third parties from using the sign in their commercial or industrial activities.

Extract:

It is a simple procedure and applications may be made both at national industrial property offices or directly to the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market in Alicante.

This simplification results in considerably reduced costs as compared with the overall costs of national registration in all or many of the fifteen countries of the European Union. The actual taxes are 900 euros for 3 classes.