在德国注册商标的两种途径

随着中德经贸合作关系的不断发展，奔驰、宝马、西门子等德国品牌在国内早已耳熟能详，成为德国产品优秀品质的代名词。与此同时，我国自有品牌在德国市场一直鲜为人知。除贸易结构中自有品牌商品份量小等原因，我大部分企业尚未建立海外品牌发展战略，仅极少数企业在德国注册了自己的商标，开始了艰难但令人欣慰的品牌之路。为实现对德合作的可持续发展，加强在德商标保护工作十分重要。本文简介了申请国际商标并进行领土延伸的做法，较详细地阐述了在德直接注册的步骤及使用管理，并就如何在德加强商标保护提出了初步建议，供主管部门及致力开拓对德业务的企业参考。

　　在德注册商标的两种途径

　　(一)通过我商标主管部门申请国际商标

　　国际商标是指根据《商标国际注册马德里协定》或《商标国际注册马德里协定有关议定书》，在马德里联盟成员方之间注册的商标。目前，马德里联盟共有78个缔约方。我国分别于1989年10月4日和1995年11月12日加入上述协定，德国加入时间为1922年12月1日和1996年3月20日。已在国内注册或正在国内申请注册商标的企业，可直接或委托商标代理机构，向我国家工商总局商标局提交申请书件，由该局向位于瑞士日内瓦的世界知识产权局(WIPO)申请注册国际商标。注册成功后，可申请将该商标代表的所有或部分商品和服务领土延伸至德国或欧盟，成为德国商标或欧盟商标。

　　根据世界知识产权局收费标准，申请德国商标费用为373瑞士法郎(含国别费73瑞郎、基础费300瑞郎)，须征得德国专利商标局同意，适用于25个成员国，世界知识产权局接到注册欧盟商标的申请后，转给位于西班牙阿利坎特的欧盟内部市场事务协调局(HABM)研究。协调局征求成员国意见，实行一票否决制，如未通过一个成员国主管部门的审查，则不得注册欧盟商标。

　　(二)直接在德国注册商标

　　根据德《商标及其他标识保护法》(MarkenG)及其实施条例，在德申请注册需有固定住所或工商营业所。德国国籍的自然人、在德注册的法人、人和公司均可申请。正在注册过程中的有限责任公司，可以“注册中的有限公司”(GmbH in G.)”名义注册商标。因此，我已在德成立子公司的企业，可通过子公司注册商标，已有代表机构的，可授权其注册。在德尚未设立机构的，应委托德律师或专利律师作为代理人，办理相关手续。

With the continuous development of Sino-German economic and trade cooperation, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Siemens and other German brands have long been familiar in China and become synonymous with excellent quality of German products. At the same time, our own brands in the German market has been little known. In addition to the small amount of goods of the own brand in the trade structure, most of our enterprises have not yet established overseas brand development strategies, and only a few enterprises have registered their own trademarks in Germany, starting a difficult but gratifying brand road. In order to realize the sustainable development of German cooperation, it is very important to strengthen the protection of trademarks in Germany. This paper briefly introduces the practice of applying for international trademarks and territorial extension, expounds in detail the steps of direct registration in Germany and the management of its use, and puts forward some preliminary suggestions on how to strengthen the protection of trademarks in Germany, for the reference of the competent departments and enterprises striving to develop their business in Germany.

Two Ways of Registering Trademarks in Germany

 

( 1 ) Apply for an international trademark through my trademark authority

International trademark refers to the trademark registered between the members of the Madrid Alliance under the ' Madrid Agreement on International Registration of Trademarks ' or the ' Protocol on International Registration of Trademarks '. Currently, the Madrid Alliance has 78 Parties. China joined the agreement on October 4, 1989 and November 12, 1995, respectively. Germany joined the agreement on December 1, 1922 and March 20, 1996. An enterprise that has registered or is applying for a registered trademark in the country may directly or entrust a trademark agency to submit an application to the Trademark Office of the State Administration of Industry and Commerce of China for registration of an international trademark to the World Intellectual Property Office ( WIPO ) in Geneva, Switzerland. After successful registration, it can be applied to extend all or part of the goods and services represented by the trademark to Germany or the European Union, and become a German or European trademark.

 

According to the World Intellectual Property Office ( WIPO ) charging standard, the cost of applying for German trademark is 373 Swiss francs ( including 73 Swiss francs for national fee and 300 Swiss francs for basic fee ), which must be agreed by the German Patent and Trademark Office and applied to 25 member countries. After receiving the application for registration of European trademark, WIPO is transferred to the European Union Internal Market Affairs Coordination Agency ( HABM ) in Alicant, Spain. The Coordinating Bureau ( Coordinating Bureau ) shall seek the views of member states and implement the one-vote veto system. If it fails to pass a review by the competent department of a member state, it shall not register the EU trademark.

( 2 ) Registered trademarks directly in Germany

 

Under the German MarkenG Law and its implementing regulations, applications for registration in Germany require a fixed residence or business premises. Natural persons of German nationality, legal persons registered in Germany, persons and companies can apply. A limited liability company in the process of registration can be registered in the name of ' GmbH in G. ' Therefore, I have set up a subsidiary in Germany enterprises, can be registered through the subsidiary trademark, has representative institutions, can authorize its registration. Where an institution has not yet been established in Germany, a German lawyer or a patent lawyer shall be entrusted with the relevant formalities as an agent.