Brand protection
Brand protection starts with a registered trademark: €1,530 all in for an EU trademark in one class, including the €850 EUIPO fee, or €715 for the UK. A watch at €490 a year then flags conflicting filings. Every enforcement tool after that, from a cease and desist letter to a UDRP complaint, depends on the registration.
What does brand protection cover?
Each threat to a brand has its own remedy and its own price. This table lists the common ones, with the page that covers each.
| The threat | The remedy | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Someone files a trademark close to yours | A trademark watch, then an opposition | Watch €490 a year reviewed, €125 alerts only. EU opposition from €790 plus the EUIPO fee |
| A business trades under your name or a close copy | A cease and desist letter | €379 in Spain, €179 in Bulgaria, €200 an hour elsewhere |
| Copies of your goods on Amazon or other marketplaces | Marketplace takedowns, which need a registered trademark | Marketplace brand protection |
| A competitor uses your brand in Google ads | A Google Ads trademark complaint, or a letter | How to file a Google Ads trademark complaint |
| Someone registers a domain name with your brand | A UDRP complaint | €1,050 plus the WIPO fee from $1,500 |
| A lookalike domain emails your customers or job applicants | A registrar abuse report, then a UDRP complaint | Lookalike domains |
In what order should I do it?
Clear the name, register it, then watch it. Enforcement comes when something turns up.
- Search before you file. A clearance search with our written opinion costs €358 for the EU in up to three classes. Trademark search explains what it finds.
- Register the trademark in every market where you sell. An EU trademark covers all 27 member states. The United Kingdom needs a separate UK trademark.
- Register the domain names that match the trademark, plus the misspellings and add-ons a fraudster would pick first, such as your brand with "jobs" or "invoice".
- Start a trademark watch the week the application is filed. Oppositions to an EU trademark must be filed within three months of the application's publication.
- Act when the watch, a customer or a search turns something up.
What does brand protection cost in the first year?
These totals use one class and the reviewed watch. The EUIPO and UKIPO official fees are included.
| Markets | Trademark | Watch, first year | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | €1,530 | €490 | €2,020 |
| EU and UK | €2,245 | €490 | €2,735 |
One watch covers both markets: the reviewed watch reads the registers of the 27 EU member states, the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, EUIPO and WIPO.
Enforcement costs are on top and arise only if something turns up.
An EU SME can reclaim 75% of the official trademark fees through the EUIPO SME Fund. The voucher has to be granted before you file, and the trademark voucher for 2026 is exhausted for now, with EUIPO expected to reopen it in October or November 2026.
What does a trademark watch not catch?
A trademark watch reads trademark registers, so it misses anything that is not a trademark filing. It does not see new domain name registrations, marketplace listings, social media accounts or ads. Those surface through your own searches, your customers, or a complaint from someone who was deceived.
That is the reason to register your obvious domain variants yourself in step 3. A domain you own is a domain nobody can use against you.