45 Nice classes
Protection always applies to specific goods and services, grouped into 45 classes. The classes you choose decide how broadly your brand is protected — badly chosen ones leave gaps a competitor can enter through legally.
PROTECTING YOUR BRAND NAME AND LOGO
Registered your company and got a domain? That doesn't mean your brand is protected
Brand protection doesn't come from a business-register entry or a purchased domain. Only trademark registration gives you the exclusive right to your name and logo — and a real tool to stop competitors. I'll check whether your mark can be safely registered and guide you through registration in Poland or across the European Union.
PLN 0 — initial mark check. Send the name or logo and I'll tell you whether the path to registration is clear.
FIG. 01 / WHAT REALLY PROTECTS A BRAND
A business-register entry isn't the same as a trademark
A CEIDG or KRS entry only confirms that your company exists. A domain gives you an address online. Neither grants a right to the name as a trademark — that's an entirely different protection. Until you register the mark, someone else can register a similar sign and block you from using the brand you built yourself.
This does NOT protect your brand as a mark
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A CEIDG / KRS entry
Only confirms the company exists.
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A purchased domain
Gives an address online, not a right to the name.
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Merely using the name
Presence on the market gives no exclusive right.
This does
Trademark registration
Exclusive right to the name and logo — from registration with UPRP or EUIPO.
FIG. 02 / CLEARANCE SEARCH
Before you file, check that the path is clear
Here's a trap many entrepreneurs fall into: the office does not check, of its own motion, whether your mark is similar to earlier ones. It simply publishes the application and waits for the owner of an earlier mark to file an opposition.
Filing „blind" can be costly
If you file without checking, at best you lose the fees. At worst, the conflict only comes to light once you've already invested in a logo, labels and advertising — ending in a rebrand, and sometimes in claims. Checking the name in a search engine or domain availability isn't enough — the law also protects similar marks: phonetically, visually and conceptually.
That's exactly what I do in a clearance search — I check whether your mark is registrable at all and whether it would run into others' rights, before you spend money on filing. Indicative price: PLN 850 (Poland) / PLN 900 (European Union), net.
FIG. 03 / WHERE TO REGISTER
Where to register the mark: in Poland or across the EU?
It's one of the first decisions — and it depends on where you operate and where you want to grow. I'll match the route to your plans and budget.
| Criterion | UPRP — Poland | EUIPO — whole EU |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of protection | Poland | All EU member statesone application, including Poland |
| Who it's for | companies operating nationally | companies with export plans |
An important nuance: an EU trademark also applies in Poland, so when searching your mark I check both registers at once, not just one. Otherwise a conflict with someone's mark could only surface after filing.
FIG. 04 / WHAT YOU CAN REGISTER
What you can register and what exactly you protect
A trademark can be a name, a logo or a slogan — most often a word mark, a word-and-figurative mark or a figurative mark is registered, but sound or shape marks also occur.
Word mark
Word-and-figurative mark
Figurative mark
Sound mark
Shape mark
Distinctive character
I'll also check whether your name has distinctive character. Fanciful, original terms are protected far better than ones that directly describe the product — because a descriptive word can't be monopolised.
FIG. 05 / STEP BY STEP
How registration works, step by step
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01
Clearance search
I check that the path is clear.
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02
Choosing route and classes
Poland or the EU, and for which goods and services.
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03
Filing
I prepare and file the application on your behalf.
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04
Publication and opposition period
The window in which owners of earlier marks can react.
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05
Registration and protection right
You obtain the right to the mark and can use the ® symbol.
Protection lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed for further ten-year periods — practically indefinitely.
FIG. 06 / COSTS
What trademark registration costs
The cost has two parts: my fee and the official fees, which are beyond my control and go to the office. The initial mark check is free — only then do we set the scope.
Initial mark check (net)
PLN 0
I'll check the mark and tell you whether the path is clear — no obligation.
Fee — search and filing (net)
PLN 850 / 900
Clearance search PLN 850 (PL) / 900 (EU). Trademark filing PLN 850 (PL) / 900 (EU).
UPRP official fees
PLN 400 + PLN 120 for each additional class
PLN 400 for the first class, 120 for each additional, publication 90, protection 400 per class (10 years).
EUIPO official fees
from EUR 850
EUR 850 for the first class, 50 for the second, 150 for each additional.
Net prices. The final cost depends on the route and the number of classes.
FIG. 07 / FUNDING
You can recover part of the fees — if you do it in the right order
The SME Fund refunds up to 75% of official fees
For micro, small and medium-sized companies there's the EU SME Fund, which refunds up to 75% of the official fees for filing a trademark in Poland and the EU (up to EUR 700 per company; 50% for international filings). But there's one rule that's easiest to trip over: you must apply for the voucher before you file the mark. Filing „just in case", before getting the voucher, cancels the refund. If you qualify, I'll apply for the voucher on your behalf and help settle the refund.
FIG. 08 / WHAT YOU GAIN
What you really gain by registering a mark
Exclusive right
To the name and logo in a given territory — you can forbid others from using an identical or similar sign.
The ® symbol
A signal to the market that the brand is protected.
A tool against counterfeits
And against others impersonating your company.
Trust and brand value
A protected brand inspires more trust and is worth more.
An asset
You can license or sell the mark.
FIG. 09 / WHY ME
All your intellectual property in one place
A patent attorney and EUIPO representative
A trademark rarely travels alone — it usually goes hand in hand with a patent, a design or a technology that also needs protecting. I work with technical and industrial companies, so I see your brand as part of a bigger whole and run it alongside the rest of your IP, rather than treating it in isolation. If you protect your technology with me, the trademark is a natural next step with the same person.
FIG. 10 / WHO IT'S FOR
Who I work with and what else is worth considering
I register marks for companies building a brand — from sole traders to industrial firms that also protect their technologies with me. If you're not sure where to start, let's start with a free name check.
FIG. 11 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions about trademarks
No. A CEIDG or KRS entry confirms the company exists but gives no right to the name as a trademark. Only registration with UPRP or EUIPO gives that protection.
It depends on the market. If you operate in Poland — UPRP is usually enough. If you plan to sell in other EU countries — EUIPO is worth considering, as one application covers the whole Union.
10 years from the filing date, renewable for further ten-year periods.
No. The office does not examine similarity to earlier marks of its own motion — it's the owner of an earlier mark who can file an opposition. That's why a clearance search before filing matters so much.
They're 45 categories (the Nice classification) defining which goods and services a mark is protected for. The choice of classes determines the scope of protection.
It's sometimes available through the SME Fund (up to 75% of fees refunded), but only for SMEs and only if you apply for the voucher before filing the mark. I'll check whether the call is currently open.
Don't see your question here? Write to me — I'll answer specifically.
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