international

If you're building a brand in Canada, securing your trademark should be one of your first steps. A registered trademark gives you exclusive rights to your name, logo, or slogan across Canada—and helps prevent others from using something confusingly similar. At Trademark Factory®, we simplify the trademark process with...

If you're expanding your business internationally, securing your brand in Europe is crucial. A European Union trademark registration offers comprehensive protection across multiple countries through a single application, making it a smart and cost-effective strategy for many businesses. Why Register a Trademark in the European Union?The EU represents a...

Do All Countries Protect Unregistered Trademarks? (Common-Law Trademarks)A common question is whether or not countries recognize and protect unregistered trademarks. The simple answer to the question is no. Most countries don't. There are a few countries where unregistered, or so-called common-law trademarks, are given some limited protection. Among them...

Canada and the USFor instance, this is straightforward in Canada because there are two official languages, French and English. Anything you file in English will automatically cover the French version. This can make for some challenging trademark searches because you must look at synonyms not only in one language but...

The trademarking process in Canada has only gotten longer over the years. As of 2025, expect the whole journey to take anywhere from 2.5 to 3 years or more. Yes, it’s still painfully slow. Back in the day, trademark examiners would start reviewing applications within six months of...

It's been a very long wait. For years, Canada has remained one of the few civilized countries that are not a party to the international treaty that allows business owners to file what is typically called international trademark applications. What this means is that companies based outside Canada cannot protect...

Let’s Take a LookInterestingly, another one of these emails just landed in my inbox. I’m unsure what trademark this indicates, so let’s unbox it now and see what we have. The document sports an official-looking heading of Patents-Trademark Services addressed to me and Trademark Factory®, originating in...

How It WorksAccording to the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Madrid Union covers 121 countries representing more than 80% of world trade. Upon filing your international trademark application, each of the designated countries will independently review your application. For example, you apply for your international trademark by selecting China, Brazil,...

They are pronounced like "niece" for Nice as a city, not like "nice" as in "oh, how nice!" So most countries in the world have adopted a system where they group all possible products and services into 45 categories that they call classes. So there are 34 classes, or categories,...