Introduction — This is the moment your brand becomes real
Until now, your brand was an idea, a concept, a name, a universe.
Here is the moment it becomes official.
Filing a trademark is what transforms your brand from a creative project into a legal entity recognized by institutions.
This article walks you through the entire process, from the moment you open the INPI (or EUIPO / WIPO) website to what happens to your file after you click “submit”.
You will understand:
The institutions you will deal with
Depending on where you want protection, you will file through:
These institutions are connected. Your file circulates between systems and is made visible to other legal actors.
→ See: Official trademark offices and their roles
→ INPI website
What exactly are you registering?
When filing, you must choose what you protect:
This choice changes the level and type of protection.
→ See: Word mark vs Figurative mark
Before filing: mandatory availability checks
Before anything, you must check if your name is available:
You are checking for identical or similar names, sounds, spellings, and activities.
→ See: How to perform a proper trademark search
The Nice Classification
You do not protect a name “globally”.
You protect it for specific goods and services, called Nice Classes.
Examples:
Choosing the wrong classes can make your trademark useless.
→ See: Understanding the Nice Classification
Filing on INPI / EUIPO / WIPO
On the platform, you will:
This is where your visible action stops.
This is where the invisible legal process begins.
The distribution stage what you don’t see
After submission, your file:
This is sometimes called the distribution phase.
Your file is now public in the legal ecosystem.
The opposition period
After publication, a legal delay begins (usually 2 months).
During this time, anyone owning a similar trademark can oppose yours.
This can result in:
→ See: The opposition procedure explained
External actors involved in your file
Your application is handled by:
Your file moves through multiple administrative and legal hands.
Legal rules you must respect
You cannot register:
This also applies to sub-brands, collections, and product names.
→ See: Legal restrictions in brand naming
→ See: Understanding the Legal Side of Branding
Protection beyond trademark filing
Making your brand official also means thinking about:
→ See: Legal protection strategies for brands
Databases and help you can use
Useful tools and support:
You don’t have to do this alone.
Conclusion
Filing a trademark is not a formality.
It is the moment your brand enters the official legal system.
From here, it is recognized, visible, examinable, and protectable.
This is how a brand becomes real.
Note
This article presents the full overview of the filing process.
Each part (search, types of marks, Nice classes, opposition, legal rules, protection strategies) will be detailed further in dedicated modules and articles.
