Luxembourg- January 10th 2010 - ‘The Importance of a ‘Local Presence’ for entering the European market
As the choice for Generic Top Level Domains become more and more limited, Country-code domains (ccTLD’s), as well as the ‘.eu’, can offer some attractive alternatives. On-line businesses expansion is almost automatic due to the nature of the Internet, offering the opportunity to move into new geographic markets with a minimum investment. And ‘Local Presence’ services enable you to prepare the way.
Take Europe for example, National and European Union on-line presence can be realized by registering a local Domain Name, but in many cases, this calls for a local contact address, or ‘operation’
And when it comes to brand protection, a local Trademark will also need to be considered. In the case of Europe, a so-called ‘Community Trademark’, or CTM, is available, offering trademark protection in all 27 European Union Member States with a single Registration application. A CTM is valid for a 10-year period from the date of filing the application and is renewable.
CTM applications from organizations based outside the European Union will also need a local representation – in this case a Lawyer recognized by the CTM Registry. A Domain Name must be renewed each year.
As new Domain Names and Trademarks are being applied for and registered on a daily basis, it is important to maintain an on-going ‘Watch’ on conflicting and confusing names. In the case of Trademarks, this is foreseen in the application and registration process. Domain Name applications include an automatic Search during the initial application process, but this does not cover later applications for typos or misspellings which can draw custom away from your site, nor for new Top Level Domains which may have been missed during their ‘Sunrise’ period.
When considering your Brand Protection strategy, you should establish Domain Name and Trademark coverage in the geographic areas where you sell or plan to sell your products, as well as and countries where your main competitors are present.
Once you have selected and implemented your Brand Protection strategy, you will need to put an effective Domain Name and Trademark Watch in place to identify new applications that may conflict with your existing brand identities. You can then submit an Opposition against such new applications.
TM Services offer all the above services. Contact us at mail@tmservices.eu for further information .
