Expanding into overseas markets - from professional company registration to continuous operations, Xike accompanies you all the way

It varies by country/region: In developed countries/regions with mature review mechanisms and high digitization levels, the process is shorter, such as the EU and United States, typically completed within 8-10 months, and the United Kingdom usually within 3-5 months; some developing countries (such as India and Brazil) have insufficient reviewers and complex procedures, with longer cycles typically taking 16-18 months to complete.

Trademarks have strict territoriality: trademark rights in each country/region are independent, and there is no globally effective "universal trademark." The "Madrid System" that many people confuse is not a universal trademark, but merely a tool to facilitate applications. Although it involves submitting one application, specific member countries must be designated, with each member country conducting separate examinations and granting separate authorizations—it is not "one application for global coverage."

There is no one-size-fits-all solution; choose the path based on the number of target markets: If only covering 1-2 key countries, choose single-country applications for faster review and lower costs. If you need to cover more than 10 countries or establish a global protection framework, prioritize the Madrid System, based on your domestic trademark, initiating one application that can designate 130+ member countries, or choose regional registration, such as an EU trademark covering 27 countries.

Xike IP provides detailed search services through target country trademark office websites (such as United States USPTO) and WIPO's global brand database, searching trademark text and graphics, analyzing the degree of similarity, making appropriate adjustments to eliminate similarity risks. If you used the trademark before a similar one, you can file an opposition during the opposition period to prevent its registration.

First, to protect rights—patents lock down core technologies from being copied, trademarks prevent brand identity from being counterfeited, safeguarding innovation and uniqueness; second, to avoid risks—preventing trademarks and technologies from being registered overseas by others, avoiding infringement disputes; third, to promote development—with legitimate overseas intellectual property rights, you can confidently conduct brand promotion and technology export, legally combat counterfeits, and establish a firm foothold in global markets.

Based on domestic applications, leverage international treaties for efficient layout: invention patents through the PCT route, design patents through the Hague System. Within the priority period of 12 months (inventions) or 6 months (designs) after filing the domestic application, submit one application designating multiple contracting parties to achieve simultaneous multi-country layout.

Since the vast majority of countries worldwide adopt the absolute novelty principle, you should file overseas applications before any form of public disclosure (including papers, exhibitions, sales, etc.), or within the critical "priority" period. Missing the deadline will result in losing the right to obtain patents in that overseas market.