CTM Official Fees Expected to Drop

Following discussions, it has emerged that OHIM is considering lowering its official fees as part of a raft of measures designed to deal with the continuing budget surplus at the Office.

The proposal, put forward in September 2008, is to reduce the overall combined CTM application and registration fees to around €1,000, with the bulk of the change applying to the registration part of the fee.

Other proposals are also under consideration, but the fee reduction would arguably benefit SMEs most as it would substantially decrease the cost of obtaining CTM protection.

The new proposals come in the wake of changes implemented in 2005 designed to curb the budget surplus that had already amassed at the Office. Those measures have had limited effect given the continuing popularity of the CTM as a means of obtaining brand protection in the E.U.

When we receive word of definite plans to implement a change, we will post it here.