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The Community trade mark (CTM) e-filing system enhances the OHIM e-filing services, offering new features and a user-friendly interface, in order to allow clients to apply for the CTM online.
This system allows you to complete an electronic CTM application form, to send required attachments to the Office and to complete the necessary payment details online. Upon submission of the electronic application, you will immediately obtain the CTM application number and the application receipt online.
The date of filing of a CTM application shall be the date (Central European Time) on which documents containing the information specified in Article 26(1) CTMR are filed with the Office by the applicant, subject to payment of the application fee within a period of one month of filing the above-mentioned documents.
How to apply for a Community trade mark.
We highly recommend printing or saving the application receipt. The OHIM will not issue any further copies of the receipt. Only e-communication users will receive a copy of the application receipt in their inbox.
More detailed help is provided in the following sections. You can also consult the Questions on the CTM Application form
E-mails may only be used for informal communication with the Office. Correspondence regarding a specific file must always be filed by fax, by post or via e-communication (only MYPAGE users). Contacting OHIM.
In order to use the e-filing service, you must comply with certain minimum technical requirements, as detailed below.
Internet Access
You need Internet access - with at least a 256kbps modem. However, a permanent connection and large bandwidth is preferable.
Browser
The application works with an Internet browser. The officially supported browsers are:
Operating System
The e-filing system supports Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems (OS). The Mac operating system works with Safari 3+.
Languages and Character Sets
The e-filing application supports the following character sets:
| Description | Character Set | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Central European | WIN1250 | Czech Hungarian Polish Romanian Slovakian Slovenian |
| Cyrillic | WIN1251 | Bulgarian |
| Western European | WIN1252 | Danish English French Finnish German Italian Dutch Portuguese Spanish Swedish |
| Greek | WIN1253 | Greek |
| Baltic | WIN1257 | Estonian Lithuanian Latvian |
| Southern Europe | ISO8859_3 | Maltese |
Attachments
To attach a new file:
The filename of the attachment can contain only the following characters:
For all the multilingual fields (Indication of Colour(s), Description of Mark, Disclaimer and List of Goods & Services) the “Enter” characters will be ignored.
For non-word marks, a representation of the mark must be provided in the form of an attachment. Only JPEG files are accepted as attachments of this type, with a maximum size of 2MB per file.
Images must be in JPG format and should conform to the following standards:
A sound mark must be represented graphically by means of an attachment, using the standard methods for reproducing sound graphically, such as a standard musical notation. The Office also accepts sonogram as a graphical representation of a sound when it is accompanied by a sound file. A description in words alone is not sufficient.
Besides the mandatory graphical representation of the mark, the users may also add a "sound file" - an attachment containing a recording of the sound. The representation of the mark can be previewed along with the entire application form before the final submission. Only MP3 files are accepted as attachments of this type, with a maximum size of 2MB (about 2 minutes of play) per file.
OHIM recommendations for sound marks:
Streaming, Surround and Loop are not allowed.
Example:
An MP3 file of 1 minute duration, sampled at 16 bits, 44.1 KHz, Stereo (2 channels i.e. similar to CD quality) has about 1MB size.
For all other attachments, a JPEG attachment and/or a PDF document will be accepted as a scanned version of the document.
If the quality of these attachments is deemed not to be of a high enough standard, we may ask you to provide these attachments again, in a different format.
The supported file types per application form section are displayed in the following table:
| Section | Attachment | File type | Max size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark | "Representation of Mark" for:
|
JPG | 2MB |
| "Sound file" for sound mark | MP3 | 2MB | |
| "Regulations governing use of the mark" for collective mark | JPG/PDF | 2MB | |
| "Translation of regulations into one of the languages of the Office" for collective mark | JPG/PDF | 2MB | |
| Priority | "Copy of first filing" | JPG/PDF | 2MB |
| "Translation of first filing into one of the languages of the Office" | JPG/PDF | 2MB | |
| Exhibition priority | "Exhibition Document" | JPG/PDF | 2MB |
| Seniority | "Copy of previous registration or other appropriate document" | JPG/PDF | 2MB |
| Other Attachments | Any other attachments | 2MB |
You can upload as many attachments as you want, as long as their total maximum size is no more than 5MB.
General Remarks
The application form is made available by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) pursuant to Rule 83 CTMIR. An application will only be accepted provided that sufficient information is provided in order to meet the minimum requirements for filing date specified by the Office.
You must provide the relevant data in the following mandatory sections of the form:
You may also provide additional information where appropriate in the following sections:
We highly recommend that you provide sufficient contact information, including name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail.
This section is Optional.
You may use a previous CTM application as a template to file your new CTM. You can adapt the previous CTM application, modifying only the necessary fields, without having to fill in the entire application form again.
Import Application
You can import the contents of a previous CTM application if you know the CTM number of the application (CTM ID) you want to use as template. You enter the CTM ID in the text box and select "Import". Only CTM applications which are already in the CTM Online data base can be loaded this way. Contents of International Registrations can not be imported.
Search CTM
You can find a previous CTM application by searching in our database, CTM-ONLINE.
This section is optional.
You may indicate your own internal reference number. The reference should consist of no more than 30 characters, which can be any combination of letters, numbers or symbols. There should be no spaces in the reference number.
An application can be made in any of the official languages of the European Community. Of these, the five official languages of the Office are Spanish, German, English, French and Italian. In light of this, the following elements are mandatory in this section:
You must indicate the language in which you are applying (First Language), which must be one of the official languages of the European Community.
You must also select an alternative language (Second Language) for the application, which must be one of the five languages of the Office (Spanish, German, English, French or Italian) and which must be different from the First Language.
If you wish to communicate with the Office only in the Second Language, you have to indicate this by ticking the relevant check-box. This is only possible if the First Language is not one of the five official languages of the Office.
You must provide your own translation in the second language for the Description, Disclaimer, Indication of Colours and Goods & Services if you have chosen to do this by ticking the relevant check-box.
This section is mandatory. You must provide details of at least one applicant in the form.
If the applicant has already filed an application at the OHIM, it will have an OHIM Applicant ID number. If you know this number, you can enter it in the text box and select "Load". All that applicant’s information will automatically be inserted in the form.
If the applicant information is not up-to-date (for example, the applicant has moved), you should contact the OHIM with the updated information.
If you do not know the OHIM applicant ID number, you can search for it by clicking on the "Search in CTM-ONLINE" link.
If no OHIM Applicant ID number exists, then you must complete all the necessary applicant information. A new applicant can be a legal entity, a natural person or a natural person: special case.
Legal Entity
Where the applicant is a legal entity, the official name of that entity must be indicated, including its legal form (e.g. "Incorporated", "Sociedad Anónima", "Aktiengesellschaft", etc). The indication of the legal form may be abbreviated in a customary manner ("Inc.", "S.A." "AG", etc). Furthermore, the country where the legal entity has its seat must be indicated.
Natural Person
Where the applicant is a natural person, the surname and first name must be indicated. Furthermore, the nationality of the applicant must be indicated.
Natural Person: special case
Where the applicant is a business person trading under their own name, the designation of legal form under which the person does business must be indicated. The designation of legal form could be a different name, such as a trading name or a pseudonym, etc. (E.g. "Hans Schmidt Firma Hansis Bäckerei e.K.", "Pietro Innamorato, operante come ditta individuale PIETRO INNAMORATO", etc.). Furthermore, the nationality of the applicant must be indicated.
We highly recommend that you provide sufficient contact information, including name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail.
If the applicant does not have its domicile or principal place of business or a real and effective commercial establishment within the European Union, it must be represented by a professional representative in all proceedings before the Office other than in filing an application. A list of representatives can be found on the OHIM website: Representative consultation service
If an applicant has its domicile or principal place of business or a real and effective commercial establishment within the European Union, the applicant may act on its own behalf or appoint a representative if it so wishes.
If the representative has already filed an application at the OHIM, the representative will have an OHIM Representative ID number. If you know this number, you can enter it in the text box and select "Load". The entire representative’s information will automatically be inserted in the form.
If the applicant information is not up-to-date (for example, the applicant has moved), you should contact the OHIM with the updated information.
If no OHIM Representative ID number exists, then you must complete all the necessary representative information. A new representative can be either a legal practitioner or an employee representative.
Legal Practitioner
Legal practitioners qualified in an EU Member State who are entitled to act in that Member State as representatives in trade mark or design matters, as the case may be, and who have their place of business in the European Community.
Where the representative is a legal practitioner, the surname and first name must be indicated. A legal practitioner may optionally be linked with an existing association of representatives. If you already know the Association ID number, you should enter the Association ID number in the text box and select "Load". The name of association will be loaded in the form. Alternatively, you may fill in the "Name of Association" text box manually.
Employee Representative
If the employee representative is directly employed by the applicant, it is sufficient to give his/her name and surname. When the employee representative works in a company (with a real and effective establishment in the EU) that has economic connections to the applicant, information relating to the nature of these economic connections and the name of the company is required.
We highly recommend that you provide sufficient contact information, including name, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail.
The following elements are Mandatory in this section:
You can apply for the following types of mark: word mark, figurative, three-dimensional mark, colour mark per se, sound mark or other. Only one type of mark can be selected for each CTM application.
In order to ensure the smooth processing of your application, the fields describing your mark must conform to specific rules (See also the Information note on formatting of CTM E-Filing applications).
An attachment must be used for the representation of non-word marks. Only attachments in JPEG format for the graphical representation and MP3 format for the complementary sound file will be accepted in this section. (See also CTM e-filing Technical Information – Minimum Requirements)Types of Mark
Word mark
A Word mark is a typewritten mark (regular font), with elements including letters, words, numerals, keyboard signs, and punctuation marks. The mark must be typed in the "Representation of the word mark" field. The Office will publish the mark applied for as it appears in the application form (capital and/or small letters and/or other signs), using the Office's standard font.
Figurative mark
A Figurative mark mark is a special representation of word or graphical features or a combination of word and graphic elements, whether coloured or not (it includes so-called "device marks" and "combination marks").
Three-dimensional mark
A Three-dimensional mark is a mark consisting of a three-dimensional shape (including containers, packaging and the product itself). The representation supplied in the attachment may consist of up to six representations of the shape. The views of a three-dimensional mark (up to 6) have to be attached as one document (jpeg).
Colour mark per se
A Colour mark per se is a mark composed of one or several colours, regardless of any specific shape or configuration. The colours must be indicated in the "Indication of Colour(s)" field. The indication may be in any manner, such as by naming the colour. However, the use of standard international colour codes is recommended.
Sound mark
A Sound mark must be represented graphically by means of an attachment using the standard methods for reproducing sound graphically, such as a standard notation. The attachment of an additional MP3 sound file (maximum size 2MB) is optional.
Other
Other marks marks include all other types of marks not falling within the above categories.
Elements in Mark section
Character set of the representation of the mark
This field is Mandatory.
You must specify the language character set of the representation of the mark when you apply for a word mark. This field serves only technical purposes with no legal implications.
Representation of mark
This field is Mandatory.
Depending of the type of mark selected, the representation of the mark must specified in the corresponding field (for word marks) or an image must be attached (for non-word marks).
Verbal element of the mark
This field is optional.
The "word" elements indicate any letters, words, numerals, keyboard signs, punctuation marks, etc, in a non-word mark. This field is mandatory if your mark includes text.
Indication of Colour(s)
Where registration in colour is applied for the representation must be in colour and the colours making up the mark must be indicated. It is recommended to add the reference to an internationally accepted colour code. The applicant is free to use his own description of the colours.
This field is mandatory when you apply for a colour per se mark. This field is also mandatory if your mark includes colour(s)
Description of the mark
This field is optional.
A description of the mark can be provided in this field.
Disclaimer
This field is optional.
You should fill it in for any statement(s) as to the elements of the mark for which exclusive rights are not claimed.
Community collective mark
This field is optional.
This field must only be ticked in the case of a Community collective mark application. For further information please read: Community Collective mark, art. 66 of the Council Regulation on the Community trade mark.
If you wish to apply for this kind of trade mark, you must provide a statement that the application is for registration of a Community collective mark. You must also attach the regulations governing the use of the collective mark and the translation of these regulations into one of the five OHIM official languages. (See also CTM e-Filing Technical Information – Minimum Requirements)
According to the amended Article 39 CTMR, which came into force on 10th of March 2008, national search reports are optional and you must explicitly request them by ticking the relevant check-box.
A request for national search reports is subject to payment of an additional fee. Your application will be published only once all search reports have been collected and communicated to you.
This section is mandatory.
You must indicate for which goods and/or services you wish to register the trade mark. Goods and services are divided into different classes according to the International Classification of Goods and Services under the Nice Agreement (the "Nice Classification"). There are presently 34 classes of goods and 11 classes of services, at least one of which must be selected here.
You can select goods & services by the following means:
Insert the goods & services manually
You can insert the classes manually in the goods & services list of your new CTM. You select the number of class manually by clicking on the appropriate class number in the “Selection of goods & services” subsection or by selecting it from a dropdown list within an empty class box.
Indicate class headings of Nice classification
Please note that when you select a class to add in the list of goods & services, the standard Nice Classification heading is displayed by default.
If you seek protection only for the goods or services indicated in the class heading, no further action is required.
If you seek protection for the class heading and all goods/services of the alphabetical list of the selected class, please tick the box appearing below the Goods & Services field. The class heading of the selected class plus the indication of all goods/services of the alphabetical list will be loaded in the goods/services field. This specification of goods/services cannot be modified.
The Alphabetical list of Nice Classification can be consulted in TMClass at http://oami.europa.eu/ec2/
For further information, please consult Communication of the President 02/12 concerning the use of class headings in list of goods and services for Community trade mark applications and registrations.
Basic Search in our database (TMClass)
You may easily search for a Good or Service in the TMClass database, by typing the appropriate word. You may insert any specified characters, which should contain less than five (5) literals (a literal is sequence of characters not separated by a space).The search results are displayed all the relevant Goods and/or Services in the CTM e-Filing page.
Import the Goods & Services from our database (TMClass)
You may import terms that are already approved by the OHIM into the Goods & Services list of your CTM Application. Click on the respective " Advanced search in TMClass ” link in order to search and import existing class terms.
You must complete the list of goods and services in the first application language, as selected in the Languages section. If you have selected the option "I will provide translation of Disclaimer, Description and List of Goods & Services in the 2nd language", you must also complete the list of goods and services in the second application language, providing your own translation.
Formatting of Goods & Services
The list of Goods and Services must respect specific formatting
See also the Information note on formatting of CTM E-Filing applications.
Validation of Goods & Services
You must validate your list of Goods and Services against the TMClass database, before submitting the CTM e-Filing form. You may either validate each class by clicking on the “Save and Validate this class” button or validate the whole list of Goods & Services by clicking on the “Save & Validate all classes” button.This section is optional.
I will claim priority now
If you choose to claim priority when you file your application, you must complete at least the following elements:
You can supply a copy of the previous application or registration together with the application or you can send it to the Office within three months from the filing date.
Priority will be rejected if the “Date of first filing” is earlier than six months from today.
I will claim priority later
Priority can be claimed within two months from the filing date.
I will not claim priority
If you do not wish to claim any priority either when you file your application or after filing, you can explicitly state this during the filing process. With this option, your application can proceed directly to examination without having to wait for two months from the filing date in case a priority claim is made post-filing.This section is optional.
An exhibition priority allows you to obtain the benefit of the date on which a trade mark was exhibited at an official exhibition.
You can only claim exhibition priority from the date of first disclosure during an official exhibition until six months after this date. You must select the exhibition from the options offered by the CTM e-filing tool.
I will claim priority now
If you choose to claim an exhibition priority when you file your application, the following elements are mandatory:
You can supply a copy of the certificate of exhibition together with the application or you can send it to the Office within three months from the filing date.
I will claim priority later
Exhibition priority can be claimed within 2 months from the filing date.
I will not claim priority
If you do not wish to claim exhibition priority when you file your application or after filing, you can explicitly state this during the filing process. With this option, your application can proceed directly to examination without having to wait for 2 months from the filing date in case an exhibition priority claim is made post-filing.
This section is optional.
If you choose to claim seniority when you file your application, you must complete the following required elements:
You can supply a copy of the seniority registration together with the CTM application or you can send it to the Office within three months from the filing date.
This section is optional.
You can transform an International Registration ("IR") designating the European Community into a Community trade mark application.
If you choose to claim a transformation under Madrid Protocol when you file your application, you must complete at least the following elements:
This section is optional.
You can add any other attachments you wish to present with your application here (in the form of any number of PDF files, each no larger than 5MB). In this section, only PDF files are accepted. (See also CTM e-Filing Technical Information – minimum Requirements)
WARNING: Potentially misleading information/trade mark “registers” of a non-official nature
This mandatory section is necessary to calculate the amount due and to allow you to pay. The e-filing system automatically calculates the total amount to be paid.
The basic CTM fee must be paid within one month from the date of submitting the application in order to obtain the receipt date as the filing date. The Office will not issue a request for payment.
More information about fees and payment.
You must specify the means of payment, indicating one of the following payment methods:
Current account with OHIM
If you hold a current account with the Office, you can pay by debiting this OHIM Current Account, indicating your Current Account number. Your account will be debited one month after the filing of your application.
Class fee together with the basic CTM fee
You may choose whether the class fee is to be withdrawn together with the basic CTM fee or only when the classification has been accepted.
You can open an OHIM Current Account by applying to the Office, in writing, at the following address:Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)
Financial Department
Avenida de Europa, 4
E - 03008 ALICANTE
SPAIN
Tel No: (+34) 965 13 93 40
Fax No: (+34) 965 13 91 13
Credit Card
You can pay by using your credit card. Currently, the OHIM accepts payments via VISA, MasterCard and EuroCard.
You must also provide the 16-digit credit card number, the 3-digit security code, and the expiry date of your card. The credit card number will not be stored after sending it to the bank. Any record of the form will only include the credit card name (VISA, MasterCard or EuroCard) plus the last four digits of the credit card number.
More information about credit card payment
Bank Transfer
If you want to pay by bank transfer, our bank account details are as follows:
| Bank | Address | Account Number | BIC Code | IBAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria |
Alicante / SPAIN | 0182-5596-90-0092222222 | BBVAESMMXXX | ES88 0182 5596 9000 9222 2222 |
| La Caixa | Alicante / SPAIN | 2100-2353-01-0700000888 | CAIXESBBXXX | ES03 2100 2353 0107 0000 0888 |
Please indicate the CTM ID in the details of the bank transfer in order to facilitate our identification of your payment. This will help to ensure that your filing date is assigned correctly and that your application is dealt with in a timely manner.
If you have an OHIM Current Account and you select bank transfer as the payment method, the Office will NOT debit your Current Account for the fees for this application.
This section is mandatory.
You must "sign" the electronic application form before final submission by indicating your name, surname and your capacity in the appropriate fields on the electronic form.
You have the option of adding a second signatory by selecting "Add Second Signatory".
Save application to PC
You can save the application form to your PC before submitting it, by clicking on one of the "Save to PC" buttons at the top and bottom of the form.
Your draft application form will be saved in XML format to the folder you have chosen in your PC.
Restore application from PC
You can restore a saved application form from your PC, by clicking on one of the "Restore from PC" buttons at the top and bottom of the form.
The draft application form will be loaded in the current window, after you browse your local environment and select a saved application form. Please note that the draft application form should have been previously saved in XML format.
Save application to "My Applications" – available only for registered users
This function is available only for registered users, when accessing the CTM e-filing system through the MyPage application.
You can save the application form in your MyPage personal space before submitting it, by clicking on one of the "Save" buttons at the top and bottom of the form.
You can save up to 30 forms in your personal space for a maximum period of 30 days.
Restore application from "My Applications" – available only for registered users
This function is available only for registered users who access the CTM e-filing system through the MyPage application.
You can restore an application that you have already saved in your MyPage personal space, by clicking on one of the "Restore" buttons at the top and bottom of the form.
The draft application form will be loaded in the current window, after you select a saved application form from your MyPage personal space.
You can print the application form by clicking on one of the "Print" buttons at the top and bottom of the form.
Your application form is checked for any data anomalies or missing sections: if there are any problems, an error message will appear. Mandatory fields’ labels will be indicated by a red asterisk "*".
This validation can be carried out in two ways:
We recommend you click the "Save" button after you finish each section. When you have finished the entire form, you should click the "Continue " button.
Once your application has been successfully validated, the e-filing tool will offer you the possibility to print a draft version of your application, to review and modify any data and then confirm the application.
Please review your draft application carefully and note that no formatting changes will be made to this original text by OHIM. However, some formatting changes may be introduced during translation. Please respect formatting rules in the "Mark" section and for the classes in the "Goods & Services" section.
Information note on formatting of CTM E-Filing applications.
You can then continue and definitively submit the application.
When you complete the submission of your application, you will receive a confirmation that the process has been completed successfully, displaying the CTM application number. Additionally there a "Print Confirmation" button that shows all the information data contained in the confirmation page, joined with all the application form data contained in the “preview” (generated before submitting).
The same window displays the date and time (Central European Time) of the application’s submission, the number of attachments, the payment method and a button to open the application receipt.
We highly recommend that you print or save the application receipt. The OHIM will not issue any further copies of the receipt. Only e-communication users will receive a copy of the application receipt in their inbox.
Furthermore, we also recommend that you check that the number of files attached as indicated coincides with the number of files you included in the form.