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What's the difference between registering a trademark through EUIPO and WIPO?

Written by Jan Buza

Co-founder of Trama

The EUIPO and WIPO serve different purposes and cover different scopes.

The EUIPO is the IP office of the European Union. Filing with the EUIPO results in an EU trademark covering all 27 member states through a single registration. It is not a filing mechanism for countries outside the EU.

WIPO administers the Madrid System, which allows a single international application to designate multiple member countries simultaneously; including the EU as one designation. Filing through WIPO does not result in a WIPO-level trademark; each designated country (or the EU as a bloc) examines the application under its own national rules. Designating the EU through WIPO results in the EUIPO examining the application under the same standards as a direct EUIPO filing.

For EU-only protection, filing directly with the EUIPO is the standard route. For multi-country protection including the EU, the Madrid System can be more cost-efficient.

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