FAQ

Run through the tips below once more: 

• Also search by parts of your name. So if your name is ‘Krissie Krassie Coaching’, also search on ‘Krissie’ and ‘Krassie’. It is especially important to search on the most unique part of your name.
• Enter the business name, writing it in different ways. This is especially a good idea if your name includes numbers or punctuation marks. For example, for a name that includes the number 4, search also for business names with for or four, and, for a name that includes a hyphen, search also for the name without a hyphen, e.g. X-mas and Xmas and Xmas-.
• Avoid using numbers and punctuation marks. The search tool is not able to search for these properly, which means that you will obtain either too many or no results, or only an exact match. The tool cannot search by sound (phonetically), but if your name sounds very similar to another trade name, it can be confusing. So do not just search for ‘Daamen’, for example, but also for ‘Damen’ and ‘Danen’.
• In addition to the BOIP Trademarks Register and the Chamber of Commerce Business Register, search also on internet to see whether your name already exists. Sometimes a trademark is not included in the BOIP Trademarks Register but is actively used within a particular sector. You must also consider that possibility.

If you would like to know more about searching for whether your name is available, you can watch our short webinar: Does your trademark already exist?

If the name of your choice is already in the Trademarks Register, you may get into trouble with another party. But this is not always the case.

Look up the name in the BOIP Trademarks Register. You will then see for which products and services the name is registered as a trademark. Are they the same or similar to the products and services you want to use your trademark for? Then it is better to choose a different name.

Are your products or services very different from those of the trademark you found in the register? Then check via a search engine like Google whether the name is already being used. If it is not, chances are you can use the name. If you want to be sure whether the name is free, you can seek advice from a specialist in trademark law. For example, someone affiliated with the professional association of legal specialists, the Benelux Association for Trademark and Design Law.

It depends on the situation. When using the same trade name as someone else can be confusing, you may not use it. The same applies if you want to use a name similar to another trade name.

Risk of confusion

Are the other business’ activities (somewhat) similar to yours?And is there possible overlap in the area in which you work?Then it is likely to be confusing if you use the same name and you may not use the trade name. This also applies if your business or your competitor's business operates nationwide.

However, there is an exception: if the other company does not use or has not used the trade name in practice. Then you are allowed to use the name. You can check this by searching for the name with a search engine like Google. Is the name already being used? Then it is better to choose a different name.:You can also read more tips on how to choose a name for your business.

No risk of confusion

Are the activities of the other business not similar to yours? Or is there no risk that your areas of work overlap? Then there is little risk of confusion if you use the same trade name or a name similar to it.. Do first check with a search engine like Google if you come across the name online. If someone else has been using your trade name forsome time, that person has the oldest right to the name. Even if that person has not registered the name in the Business Register. If you do not find the name online, chances are you can just use it.

You may not be allowed to use the name.

If you sell the same or similar products or services as the owner of the trademark in the
Trademark Register, it is confusing. And that is not allowed. Customers and suppliers may think
they are doing business with the company with that trademark. The owner of the trademark can
then object to your name. For example, by sending you a letter telling you to stop using the name.
If you do not stop? Then you may have to pay damages.

Please note: the Name checker displays information from the BOIP Trademarks Register and the
Chamber of Commerce Business Register. Please be aware that:

• The Name checker is a tool and is not a research or advice.
• These registers change daily. The Name checker search results only reflect the situation at that particular moment.
• The Name checker only displays trade names and trademarks that feature or match the exact query. Be sure to try alternate spellings and variations.
• The search result of the Name checker on KVK.nl is sometimes different from the search result of the Brand Check on BOIP.int and KVK.nl/zoeken
   

In that case you would better not use that name.

The name is only in the Trademark Register

Then the name is protected for one or more products or services. You may not or no longer use the name for those products or services. It is better not to use very well-known brand names anyway. Not even if you sell other services or
products.

Please note: you will not find any names in the Trademark Register that only give a description. For example ‘Baker’ for a bakery shop. BOIP only records trademark names that do not describe the product or service for which they are applied.

The name only appears in the Business Register

Is the trade name used in the same region in which you work? And for the same products and services? Then choose a different name.

Most registered word marks and trade names consist only of letters, but you can also use numbers in them.

For trade names, you can also add punctuation marks, for example . , - + and &.
Make sure that the name is still legible for others and that it can be pronounced. Some entrepreneurs add a huge number of punctuation marks to their trade name, for example ---- or &&&&. Or they wish to add special characters to their trade name, for example ^ * ~ or {}. Often, such additions are meant as 'decoration' and the trade name cannot be pronounced properly. Keep in mind that such additions are not protected by the Trade Name Act.

If you want to register your name as a trademark, all punctuation marks can be part of the trademark.

A trademark is the name by which others can recognise your business, productor service . If you register your trademark in the BOIP Trademarks Register, you can forbid others from using that name for the products and services for which you registered the name. Registering your trademark is a key step in protecting it. Read more about protecting your name

The BOIP Trademarks Registerlists all trademarks registered in the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg). These trademarks are the intellectual property of other organisations. This means that you cannot just use a registered trademark for your business.

The Trademark Register also lists:

• trademarks for which someone has applied
• trademarks registered in the European Union (Union trademarks)
• international trademarks valid in the Benelux

You cannot use these trademarks just like that either. The Trademark Register is maintained by
BOIP. This is the official organisation for registering trademarks in the Benelux. Go to the BOIP Trademarks Register

The Business Register lists all companies and legal persons. So you will also find the trade names registered by companies in the Netherlands. If you are going to do business with someone, you can see in the Business Register who you are dealing with, who is allowed to do business on behalf of the company and whether a company is bankrupt (that means it has debts it cannot pay). Read more about the Chamber of Commerce Business Register.

Before you start using a trade name or a trademark, you have to check that it is not already used by another company. If you fail to do so, and it later turns out your name is (nearly) identical to that of another business? This could be confusing and that is not allowed. The Name checker allows you to search both the KVKBusiness Register and the BOIP Trademarks Register at the same time. These registers list all trade names and trademarks that others have registered.

You can apply for the voucher yourself, but you can also ask someone else in your company or an IP professional to do it for you. An IP professional is a legal expert in the field of intellectual property who can assist with your trademark or design registration. If you use the services of an IP professional, a completed and signed “declaration of honour” is required. 

In 2024 you can only apply for 1 voucher for reimbursement of trademark and/or design registrations. However, with that one voucher you can request a refund for several applications, up to a maximum of 1,000 euros. 

There are also vouchers for other IP activities, such as a voucher for the IP scan, a voucher for patents and a voucher for plant breeders' rights. You will find more information about this on this page.

With the SME voucher you can recuperate up to 75% of the costs of a Benelux trademark or design application. You can also recuperate:  

• 75% of the costs of a European trademark or design application via EUIPO.  
• 75% of the costs of a trademark or design application in an individual country that is part of the European Union.  
• 50% of the costs of a trademark or design registration via WIPO.  

In addition, reimbursement is possible for other IP activities, such as the IP scan, a patent or plant breeders' rights. 

You can find more information about all the options on this page.

No, that is not necessary. Take care to activate the voucher in good time though. To do this you must apply for at least 1 trademark or design registration within 2 months of the date the voucher is granted, pay for it and request the refund. That registration can be a Benelux trademark or design (with BOIP), but it can also be a European Union trademark or a registered Community design (EU), a trademark or design registration with one of the EU Member States or a trademark or design registration with WIPO. 

Once your voucher has been activated, you still have 6 months to apply for more trademarks and designs and to request refunds. 

No, that is not possible. Patents are only granted for technical inventions. You can protect a name, such as the name of your company or goods and services, under trademark law. Trademark law is different to patent law. You can apply for a trademark registration to protect your name. More about trademarks

The basic fee is 244 euro. Additional costs depend on the goods and services for which you are claiming protection. View all fees

Once your trademark is registered you can use the ®sign to advertise the registration of your trademark. This looks professional and inspires confidence in your customers. However, there is no law that prohibits the use of the ®sign for non-registered trademarks. The fact that a trademark bears the ®sign does not necessarily mean that it is actually registered. You can check whether a trademark is registered in the Benelux Trademarks Register, the official place of publication for registered trademarks.

The BOIP Trademarks Register is a public register because everyone has to be able to check:     

1. whether an identical or very similar trademark already exists before you apply to register your trademark;     
2. whether, after you have registered your trademark, someone has applied to register an identical or very similar trademark for the same or similar products and/or services.
3. who the owner of a potentially conflicting trademark is in order to attempt to contact them to discuss the situation and potentially reach agreement with each other.     

This information must be freely available. That is not automatically the case for your address details. People consulting the register first have to identify themselves before they can view your details. This is an extra security measure to better protect your details.

Upon filing your trademark application, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. You can use the PDF appended as an invoice for your administrative records.

Have you filed a design application? If so, you can use the PDF that you can download at the end of your application as an invoice for your administrative records.

Our fees are exempt from VAT.

Yes. You can include several designs or drawings in a single application. View the current fees. Once you have uploaded an image, the application invites you to add another design. Click on the button '+ Add design'.  

The choice is yours. If you register your design in one colour, you limit the protection to that colour. If you register your design in black and white, the protection is limited to the black and white version of the design.

All design applications are confidential until they are published as registered designs in the Trademarks Register. Do you want a longer confidentiality period? If so, DURING the filing of your design application, request to have publication suspended. You can request to have publication of your design suspended for a maximum of one year. This period starts on the filing date or the date of priority.
The suspension applies to all designs and images in the application. You can ask for the suspension period to be ended at any time.

It is important that all of the features you want to protect are clearly shown in the images.

You can add various views of a single design. For example: a perspective view, a general view, and a top view.

Other points:

• one image for each view;
• neutral background (the design must be clearly visible);
• you are not permitted to provide explanations in texts, legends, or technical dimensions;
• visual disclaimers with a drawing: use a dotted line to show elements that do not form part of the design;
• visual disclaimers in a photograph: blur elements in the photo that do not form part of the design;
• file format: JPG, 200 to 300 dpi, print format between 1.5 and 8 cm, no larger than 2 MB.

Example of an incorrect image:

The Benelux Design Register is open to the public because everyone must be able to check:

• whether a given design already exists, before they file a design application;
• whether conflicting design registrations have been entered in the Design Register.

The Register contains neither pending design applications nor unpublished registered designs.

Yes. You can use the i-DEPOT envelope if you do not want to record the concept or idea in an electronic format, or if you are unable or unwilling to pay online. We will send you the i-DEPOT envelope upon receipt of the order form and your payment.

The i-DEPOT envelope comes in two sections. You place an identical document describing or showing your creation as clearly as possible in each of the two sections. You return both envelope sections to BOIP. BOIP will date your i-DEPOT envelope upon receipt. One section will be sent back to you, the second will be stored unopened in our archive. You can obtain this section from BOIP as evidence in the event of a dispute arising. You can only do this once.

Download Order form for i-DEPOT envelope

No, that is not possible. The i-DEPOT does not give you a monopoly, as a trademark, for instance, would. The i-DEPOT is a form of evidence (PDF with date stamp) that you can use to show when your creation existed. This could be useful in the event of a dispute in which you want to prove that your creation existed earlier.

Yes, by default, we keep your i-DEPOT confidential. You can decide for yourself whether to fully or partially publish an i-DEPOT. Please note: as soon as you publish your i-DEPOT in i-D Space yourself, the information that you have disclosed becomes open to all.

There are two possible causes:

1. Incorrect file format. Check that your file is in one of the following formats: pdf, jpg, jpeg, png, txt, doc, docx, doc, tif, tiff, xlsx, xls, pptx, ppt, png, gif, bmp, mov, mp3, mp4, m4v, avi, wmv, mpg, psd, wav, m4a, wma, aac, or zip;
2. File size (MB) exceeded. Check the maximum size of the files you want to upload. You can add one or more files up to a maximum of 100 MB.

If you are still unable to upload files, please contact our Information Centre.

Yes, your idea or trade secret is absolutely safe in BOIP's i-DEPOT. Protecting your data is of the utmost importance to us. To that end, we have taken appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the i-DEPOT.

BOIP is certified compliant with ISO 27001, the international standard for information security. In addition, security audits and penetration tests are performed on a regular basis. The results of these audits show time and time again that we have our information security in good order. Read more about our information security

When an i-DEPOT certificate is issued, your data is secured. The services of a qualified trust service provider are used to sign the electronic i-DEPOT certificate, as required by EU Regulation 910/2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (eIDAS). i-DEPOT content is not sent anywhere to have the date stamp and signature applied. On the contrary, it remains in a secure (encrypted) environment at BOIP. The end result is a digital certificate, bearing a trustworthy date stamp, that guarantees that the i-DEPOT has not been modified since it was submitted.

BOIP's qualified trust service provider is GlobalSign. GlobalSign complies with an array of independent audits and accreditations, including certification as a qualified Certification Services Provider (CSP) under the ETSI standards and ISO/IEC 27001:2013, ISO 27701:2019 en ISO 27017:2015. An overview of these accreditations and certifications is provided on the GlobalSign website.

Therefore, whatever the content you place in an i-DEPOT, be it an idea, concept or trade secret, you can rest assured that it is held under seal of confidentiality and strictly secured by BOIP.

As a form of evidence, the i-DEPOT is not subject to any territorial limitation. This means that as a general rule you can use the i-DEPOT as evidence anywhere in the world. The court in the country in question will decide whether to admit it to the proceedings. European courts will always accept an i-DEPOT as evidence.

We will be pleased to answer your questions. You can contact us by telephone or by e-mail. Our Information Centre is open on Monday - Thursday 09:00 -12:00 am, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, on Friday 10:00 -12:00 am, 1:00 and 5:00 pm. If you apply for your trademark registration online, we will be able to assist you with the chat function.

The procedure for opening a current account is as follows:

• Send us a letter containing your name and address details;
• Transfer at least 1,000 euro to our bank account, stating 'open current account' as the payment reference.

We will then send you a letter informing you of the current account number.

Protecting your data is of the utmost importance to us. To that end, we have taken extensive technical and organisational measures to safeguard the availability, integrity and confidentiality of the data we manage.

BOIP is certified compliant with ISO 27001, the international standard for information security.

In addition, security audits and penetration tests are performed on a regular basis by reputable security firms. The results of these audits show time and time again that we have our information security in excellent order. In the interests of security, we do not provide further details on how our services are secured.

BOIP is the legal owner of the software supporting the Benelux Patent Platform (BPP). This platform concerns a shared IT-patent platform which covers the main patent related processes for the National Offices of Intellectual Property of Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. The BPP is used by these National Offices in order to execute the national laws governing patents. BOIP does not process personal data with regard to the BPP and also has no access to any data that is being processed through the BPP. If you have any questions with regard to the processing of personal data through the BPP, we refer you to the following government websites: 

• Belgian Implementation of the Benelux Patent Platform
• The Netherlands Patent Office
• National Commission for Data Protection - Luxembourg 

We provide a secure digital environment to guarantee the security of your data and registrations: My BOIP. You can use My BOIP to administer your data and registrations with ease. Please note: never disclose your user name and password to anyone else! If you experience problems with logging in to or using My BOIP, please contact our Information Centre.

It is possible that bol.com will not accept your trademark registration. We explain how that can happen below. What’s more, we can also tell you how to solve the problem: make a print-out of your trademark from the BOIP Trademarks Register and send it to bol.com. 

How we register trademarks 

Registering your trademark with BOIP means that your trademark is entered in the BOIP Trademarks Register. The Register has to be easily searchable to be able to retrieve the trademarks. It is the reason why we include in our system all the word elements that form part of a particular trademark. With a brand name (word mark), this is not likely to cause bol.com to refuse the registration. It might be the case with a logo though.

An example: Suppose you want to register a logo which includes the words ‘Baker Pete’ and its abbreviated form – ‘BP’. The word elements in the logo then are: ‘Baker Pete BP’. We enter these words in our system, as the word elements of this logo, and the logo is thus ‘named’ as such in the BOIP Trademarks Register.  

The ‘name’ of the logo gives a false impression 

It is possible that bol.com will not accept the trademark registration. This is because bol.com finds that the ‘name’ we have given to the logo gives the impression that the trademark registration is for a different trademark than the one you have submitted. That name is not really relevant for bol.com though, because the legal protection for the trademark applies to the whole of the logo, not just to the word elements that form part of it.

How to solve the problem of a refusal by bol.com 

You can solve this problem by making a digital print-out of your trademark from the BOIP Trademarks Register and sending that to bol.com. This print-out shows, namely, only the official details relating to the trademark, not the name we give it. 

How to make a print-out from the Register 

1. Search for your trademark in the BOIP Trademarks Register.  
2. On your trademark page, click on ‘print’ at the top on the right.  
3. Save your print-out as a pdf and send it via e-mail to bol.com.

Read our article 'What to do if bol.com does not accept your trademark registration'

In fact, accelerated registration does not bring any direct added value when you want to sell through bol.com. That may sound a little strange, as via an accelerated registration procedure – with an additional fee – you can obtain your registration number immediately, which you need in order to sell your branded goods on bol.com. However, your trademark does not yet have the ‘registered trademark’ status. The whole registration procedure still has to be applied to your trademark (read more here about the registration procedure). There are also a risks attached to that.

More about the risks 

During the registration procedure with BOIP, it is possible that we have to refuse your trademark application, or that someone lodges an objection (files an opposition) against to your trademark. If your trademark is refused, you won't meet bol.com's guidelines.  

Take your time 

With a normal BOIP registration procedure, it takes approximately 3 months before your trademark is registered and you receive a registration number. Bol.com can already assess the trademark during this period. It is advisable to wait until the end of this process, to avoid any risk, before you register your brand with bol.com.

Bol.com wants to know whether your trademark has been registered with BOIP for the correct class(es) to sell your goods. The ‘correct’ classes are the classes that apply to your product. You must choose the correct terms within those classes. We refer to this as ‘classification’. 

Determine which products you are going to use your trademark for 

Classification means that you must indicate the products you intend to use your trademark for. This determines the scope of protection of your trademark. A useful tool to help you with this is TMclass. This classification assistant helps you to search for your products and find the corresponding class. 

The products selected determine the scope of protection 

Here’s an example. Let's imagine that you sell thermos flasks. Class 21 applies in this case, and within it the term ‘thermos flasks’. If you sell backpacks, you need class 18, and within it the term ‘backpacks’. As stated, the products selected determine the scope of protection of your trademark. Be careful though: you cannot widen the choice of products at a later date. You can decide to limit the scope of protection though. 

Tip: Within 5 years of registering, you must also actually use your trademark for all the products you registered it for. If you don’t, you run the risk of losing your trademark. 

Yes, this is possible provided that the trademarks in the two basic applications/registrations are identical.

Of course, we'll be pleased to answer your questions. Our Information Centre is open Monday - Thursday 09:00 -12:00 am, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, on Friday between 10:00 -12:00 am, and 1:00 and 5:00 pm. In the application for online trademark applications, you can also use the chat function to contact us. 

No, you must file your application with BOIP. You can do this online via My BOIP.

You can apply for an international registration via My BOIP.

You will need a Benelux registration as the basis for an international trademark registration.

We will send you an e-mail as soon as we have submitted your application for international trademark registration to WIPO.

You pay all the fees directly to WIPO, including the costs charged by BOIP for submitting your application. The payment options are given in the application forms.

Whether or not your trademark registration can be extended to other countries depends on a number of factors. They include the number of classes, the countries to which you are extending the registration and whether the trademark is in colour. You can calculate the fees yourself using the WIPO fee calculator. WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) is the official body that administers the international trademarks register. The organisation is established in Switzerland, which is why the fees in the calculator are given in Swiss francs.

After BOIP, WIPO checks whether your application is in order. An irregularity notice means that WIPO has a question regarding your application. You can respond to the WIPO irregularity notice via My BOIP (click on "Register an international trademark"). BOIP will appraise your answer and then forwards it to WIPO. You can follow the current status of the matter on My BOIP.

Of course, we'll be pleased to answer your questions. Our Information Centre is open Monday - Thursday 09:00 -12:00 am, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, on Friday between 10:00 -12:00 am, and 1:00 and 5:00 pm. In the application for online trademark applications, you can also use the chat function to contact us. 

Yes, international applications for design registrations run via WIPO. You will therefore need to file your application directly with WIPO.

No. The design itself can never be modified. If you change an aspect of your design, you will need to apply for a new design registration.

No. A trademark itself can never be modified. If you change an aspect of your trademark, if you alter your logo, for example, you will need to apply for a new trademark registration.

A design itself can never be modified. If you change an aspect of your design, you will need to apply for a new design registration.

You can complete your online application instalments, provided that you remember to save it periodically:

• On the right, click on 'Save application'. Your application will be saved on your computer as an XML file;
• If you wish to continue with your application, click in the system on ‘Import saved application (XML file); 
• Insert the saved XML file and continue on with your application.

During the filing process, you can request that your trademark registration be fast-tracked (step 3 in the application). An accelerated registration may be useful in cases where disputes are being brought before the courts, for example. It is possible to convert your application into an urgent application at any point in the application procedure.

A surcharge applies for urgent registrations.

We will register your trademark as soon as we have checked that it meets the formal requirements. You should however bear in mind that a refusal or opposition could result in your registration being cancelled.
More about accelerated registrations 

To apply for your registration, you will need to log in via My BOIP. Once logged in, you can apply for registration in five steps.  The application contains an instruction video that explains each step in more detail. You can pay directly online using among others iDEAL, Visa, Mastercard or Bancontact. Once you have completed your application, you will receive confirmation of receipt (PDF) of your application by e-mail. 

To My BOIP

You can check receipt yourself in My BOIP message box or you can contact our Information Centre. We advise you to use My BOIP message box to respond to our messages whenever possible.

If you do not yet have a My BOIP account, simply use the contact form on our website. You will receive immediate confirmation of receipt.

If you apply for your trademark or design registration online, you can pay directly using:

• iDEAL
• Visa
• Mastercard
• Maestro
• Bancontact
• Sofort
• CBC Online
• Belfius Netbanking
• ING Homepay
• KBC Online
• Giropay

A design registration is valid for five years. You can renew your design registration for a further five-year period from six months before the expiry date of your registration. You can do this via My BOIP. You can protect a design for a maximum of five times five years.

A trademark registration is valid for ten years. You can renew your trademark registration for a further ten-year period from six months before the expiry date of your registration. You can do this via My BOIP.

On average, the procedure for applying for and registering a trademark takes three months. Once the two-month opposition period has elapsed, it will take approximately 5 working days for your trademark to acquire 'Registered' status in the BOIP Trademarks Register.

Please contact our Information Centre. We will look into the matter straight away.

This means that a trademark dispute has arisen. An opposition is a legal proceeding. It is important that the proceeding be conducted carefully and correctly. We advise you to retain the services of an IP professional to assist you with this.

All correspondence regarding the proceeding will be transmitted using My BOIP message box. If you do not yet have a My BOIP account, simply use the contact form on our website . You will then receive a letter at the address figuring in the Register.

BOIP has ruled that the sign (trademark) that you have applied for cannot be registered as a trademark. You can lodge an objection to this decision using My BOIP message box. If you do not yet have a My BOIP account, simply use the contact form on our website . You will receive immediate confirmation of receipt.

We advise you to consult an IP professional for advice regarding refusal of an application.

Our registers are public, but your address details are not automatically visible to everyone. Users must first identify themselves.    

Nevertheless, it is possible that various service providers contact you directly. Unfortunately, some of those providers engage in misleading practices. We receive questions about this on a regular basis because the correspondence appears to originate from BOIP or another official body, but that is not the case.     

Have you received letters or offers that you are unsure about? If so, click here: Beware misleading invoices!

We no longer issue renewal certificates. You can, however, easily look up and print out a copy of your design registration yourself:

• Search for your design in the Benelux Designs Register;
• Click on 'Print' on the top right of your registration overview.

You can click the 'Order' button to order an authenticated copy from us, if you prefer. A charge applies for this service.

We no longer issue renewal certificates. You can, however, easily look up and print out a copy of your trademark registration yourself:

• Search for your trademark in the Benelux Trademarks Register;
• Click on 'Print' on the top right of your registration overview.

You can click the 'Order' button to order an authenticated copy from us, if you prefer. A charge applies for this service.

An assignment is recorded in the register. The corresponding deed of assignment or any other transfer, may be requested from BOIP by any third party for consideration. Often, therefore, an extract of the deed is submitted to BOIP, which shows the transfer but does not show certain confidential information. Certain information can also be made invisible, as long as the deed shows that the right has been transferred and that the parties have agreed on this. This also applies to licences and rights of pledge.

You can still renew your registration for up to six months after the expiry date. A surcharge applies for renewal after the expiry date. You can extend your registration yourself via My BOIP.

No. The trademark itself can never be modified, even during the renewal procedure. You will need to apply for a new trademark registration to protect your new logo. 

If your trademark is already listed in the Trademarks Register, check whether the goods and services for which the trademark is registered correspond to those for which you use or want to use your trademark. If so, it is possible that your trademark infringes someone else's trademark rights. The best way to avoid a dispute is to stop using your trademark for the goods and services in question as soon as possible. In such cases, it is better to devise a new trademark that does not encroach on anyone else's territory.

If the goods and services for which you want to apply for trademark registration do not correspond to the similar trademark you have found in the register, you can simply continue to register your trademark. For example: the trademarks for Ajax fire extinguishers and Ajax cleaning products can co-exist because the goods and services for which they are registered are completely different.

Are you concerned about whether you can register your trademark? If so, consult an external IP professional.

You can still renew your registration for up to six months after the expiry date. A surcharge applies for renewal after the expiry date. You can extend your registration yourself via My BOIP.

You can view the status of your trademark application in the online Trademarks Register.

You will find tips on how to make your choice in step 3 of our 4 steps for trademark registration. On this page we explain how to inform us of your choice when applying to register your trademark. 

Upon filing your trademark application, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. You can use the PDF appended as an invoice for your administrative records.

Have you filed a design application? If so, you can use the PDF that you can download at the end of your application as an invoice for your administrative records.

Our fees are exempt from VAT.

You can correspond with us through your My BOIP Message box regarding trademarks, designs, oppositions and modifications. More information

For general queries and information: call or email our Information Centre. 

My BOIP is a personal, secure online environment in which you can easily apply for and administer all of your registrations and i-DEPOTs.  You can create three different types of account:

• a personal (private) account;
• an account for a sole proprietorship;
• a business account.

Which type of account should I choose?

The choice of account type determines the details that appear in the applications you file with us. You can make this choice once only. If, at a later date, you no longer want your IP rights under your own name, but under your company name or vice versa, you can transfer them. To do this, you will need to create a new account for the company or person to which you are transferring them.

Is your company a sole proprietorship?

If so, you must indicate this when creating your account because there is a specific, legally-prescribed way of specifying the name of a sole proprietorship, i.e. Frida Bloemendaal, trading as Flower Specials.

Are you requesting registrations for someone else?

In one of the subsequent steps in applying for an account, you can indicate whether you will be using the account to apply for registrations for yourself or for other people or companies (as a legal intermediary). If you apply for registrations for other people or companies, we will assume that you are a legal intermediary who administers the intellectual property rights of various clients. Your details will also be given in the public information in the register and in the registration and i-DEPOT certificates. You will also be our first point of contact for all correspondence.

Do you own several companies? In that case, you are not deemed to be a legal intermediary. You will need to apply for a separate account for each company.

Once you have applied for an account, you will receive an e-mail containing an activation link. You will not be able to log in until you have activated your account. Have you not received an activation e-mail? Check whether the e-mail has ended up in your spam folder. If not, please contact our Information Centre.

Remember to enter your new e-mail address in your account before you lose access to your old one. If you forget to do this, you will no longer have access to your account. Access cannot be restored. We advise you to always enter an alternative e-mail address.

Check whether your password meets the security criteria:

• The password consists of at least 12 characters;
• The password contains at least one of these characters: lower case letter, capital letter or figure;
• The password does not contain your user name.

Check whether your user name meets the security criteria. A correct user name:

• consists of at least 5 and a maximum of 20 characters;
• does not contain any spaces;
• does not contain any special characters, such as an @, accent or cedilla.

You will need a My BOIP account to apply to BOIP for a registration, submit modifications, and so on. My BOIP is your own secure online environment in which you can easily apply for and administer all of your registrations and i-DEPOTs. You will also find the overview of any i-DEPOTs you have in My BOIP. Applying for a My BOIP is easy and free of charge.

You can find this information in My BOIP. Log in with your account details and click on the € sign in the left-hand bar. You will find our bank details there.

If your account has several users, it is possible that the account administrator has assigned different rights to different users. To gain access to the service you want to purchase, you will need to contact your organisation's account administrator.

We provide a secure digital environment to guarantee the security of your data and registrations: My BOIP. You can use My BOIP to administer your data and registrations with ease. Please note: never disclose your user name and password to anyone else! If you experience problems with logging in to or using My BOIP, please contact our Information Centre.