Frequently asked questions

No. There is no single right that protects an invention, brand, or design everywhere at once. IP rights are territorial, meaning each is granted and enforced under the law of one country or region. International treaties make it more practical to seek protection in many places, but you still hold a bundle of national rights rather than one global right. Learn more.

It means a right has legal effect only in the country or region that granted it. A trade mark registered in one country protects you there, not automatically elsewhere. To be protected in another market you generally need to obtain a right in that market, either directly or through an international filing route. Learn more.

A trade mark protects a brand sign such as a name or logo. A patent protects a new, inventive technical solution. Copyright protects original creative works such as writing, music, and software. A registered design protects the appearance of a product. They cover different things and often work together to protect one product.

In most countries copyright arises automatically when an original work is created, with no registration needed, under the Berne Convention. A few countries offer optional registration that can help with proof or enforcement. Keeping dated records of authorship is sensible everywhere, even where no register exists. Learn more.

You can file directly with each national or regional office, or use the Madrid System to seek protection in several member territories through one international application filed through your office of origin. Which route is better depends on how many countries you need and where they are. Each office still decides protection under its own law. Learn more.

It is the main treaty behind the WIPO-administered Madrid System, which lets a trade mark owner seek protection in multiple member countries through a single international application based on a home registration or application. It centralises filing and renewals but does not create one worldwide trade mark. Learn more.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty provides a single international patent application that preserves a filing date across many member states and includes an international search. It does not grant a worldwide patent. After the international phase you enter the national phase in the countries you choose, where each office decides whether to grant. Learn more.

The Hague System is a WIPO-administered route for protecting industrial designs in several member territories through one international application. Like the trade mark and patent treaties, it centralises filing and management but leaves each designated office to apply its own law on what designs qualify. Learn more.

A priority date is the date of your first application, which later applications in other Paris Convention countries can claim if filed within the priority period (twelve months for patents, six for trade marks and designs). It can be decisive if someone files something similar in the gap, because your later filings are treated as dating from the earlier date. Learn more.

There is no single right answer. Common considerations are your home market, where you actually trade or manufacture, where the main infringement risk is, and the priority deadlines that filing first triggers. The choice has strategic and cost consequences, so it is worth taking local advice before committing. Learn more.

Usually the markets where you sell or manufacture now, plus those you realistically plan to enter, and any where copying is a known risk. Protecting everywhere is rarely cost-effective. The right shortlist balances commercial value against the cost of filing and maintaining rights in each place. Learn more.

No. Because rights are territorial, a registration protects you only in the country or region that granted it. Selling into other markets without protection there can leave you exposed, including to someone else registering your brand first in a country you have not covered. Learn more.

In a first-to-file system, rights generally go to the first party to file, not the first to use. Almost all countries are first-to-file for patents. Most apply it to trade marks too, though some, notably the United States, give weight to who used the mark first. Either way, delay can let someone else secure the right ahead of you, so filing early in your key markets is important.

Trade mark squatting is when someone registers your brand in a country before you do, then tries to block or profit from your entry. It is a particular risk in first-to-file markets. The main defence is to file early in the countries you plan to enter, before you announce or launch there. Learn more.

It depends on the right. Patents for inventions commonly run up to around twenty years from filing, subject to renewal or maintenance requirements, while rights such as utility models or registered designs have different, often shorter terms. Registered trade marks can usually be kept in force indefinitely with renewals and genuine use. Copyright duration varies by country and by type of work, and is often measured from the author's life plus a set number of years, though other rules apply to some works.

A national route means filing in one country. A regional route covers several countries through one system, such as an EU trade mark. An international route, such as Madrid or the PCT, is a centralised way to seek a bundle of national or regional rights through a single application. Each suits different needs. Learn more.

Often yes. Many countries require a local representative for foreign applicants, and local counsel understand the language, procedure, and grounds for refusal that decide outcomes. Even where representation is not mandatory, local advice reduces costly mistakes. Matching you to a vetted local firm is what IPEnvoy is built to do. Learn more.

The Nice Classification sorts goods and services into 45 numbered classes used in trade mark applications. The classes you choose define what your registration covers, and how many you cover is a common cost driver at the relevant office. Picking the right classes is important, because gaps can leave parts of your business unprotected. Learn more.

It varies widely and we do not quote figures, because official fees change and depend on the route, the number of countries and classes, translations, and local representation. The main cost drivers are how many markets you cover and how complex each filing is. Always confirm current official fees on the relevant office's website. Learn more.

Simple domestic filings can sometimes be done without help, but cross-border work involves procedure, classification, and local rules where mistakes are hard to undo and can lose rights. For anything commercially important or international, professional advice is usually worth it. IPEnvoy assesses your position and connects you with a suitable firm.

IPEnvoy is an international IP referral platform, not a law firm. We assess your position under local law and connect you with a vetted IP firm in the relevant market. We do not provide regulated legal advice ourselves; that work is carried out by the partner firms we introduce you to.

You tell us what you are protecting and where. We assess the position against the relevant local law and filing routes, then introduce you to a vetted partner firm in the right jurisdiction to carry out the regulated work. The aim is to get qualified work to the right expert quickly.

Fazlex handles deep UK intellectual property work. IPEnvoy is the international platform that assesses cross-border IP needs and routes them to vetted firms in the relevant markets. For UK-specific matters, IPEnvoy points you to Fazlex; for international protection, IPEnvoy coordinates the right local firms.

Sometimes, but not reliably. Copyright generally protects original creative works automatically under the Berne Convention, and some countries protect unregistered trade marks or designs to a limited degree. Inventions usually need a patent, and an idea on its own is generally not protected. Crucially, public disclosure before filing can destroy the novelty a patent needs.

Generally yes. A patent requires novelty, and disclosing the invention publicly before filing can destroy it in most countries. Some countries offer a limited grace period, but it is not universal and is risky to rely on. The safe approach is to file first. If you must discuss it beforehand, do so under a confidentiality agreement, but note that only filing secures a priority date. Learn more.

You can usually act only if you hold a right in that country, because enforcement follows the local law where the infringement happens. Remedies and procedures differ by jurisdiction. The practical first step is to confirm what rights you hold there and take advice from a local firm on the options. Learn more.