Closer Collaboration between the EUIPO and EURid to Benefit SMEs

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and EURid, the domain name registry for the .eu, .ею and .ευ top-level domains, are set to intensify collaboration to support trade mark and domain name applicants and owners, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

This collaboration will support users of the EU IP system, particularly startups, by helping them to obtain trade mark and domain name protection in a joined-up manner, so they can secure their brands from the very beginning of their business journey.

At present, EU trade mark applicants are advised whether their trade mark is available as a .eu domain name at the end of the online application process at EUIPO. Applicants and holders can also set up alerts to be informed once a .eu domain name that matches their trade mark is registered.

Under a new work programme agreed jointly by the two organisations, the EUIPO and EURid will explore the possibility of implementing a reciprocal process when a .eu domain name is registered, allowing holders to see if a trade mark with a similar name is available at the EUIPO.

Additionally, both organisations will work on a common study on application behavior, to see whether trade marks or domain names are registered first. The study will assist in tackling fraudulent domain names and registrations done in bad faith. Work will also begin on a feasibility study to create a tool to inform users of the availability of the terms they are searching for both as a trade mark and as a domain name.

With outreach to SMEs at the heart of the EUIPO’s Strategic Plan 2025, information from EURid on domain names will be integrated into a planned chatbot for SMEs, as well as into discovery guides and webinars, to further guide smaller companies towards an integrated brand protection scheme.

About the EUIPO:

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is a decentralised agency of the EU, headquartered in Alicante, Spain. It manages the registration of the European Union trade mark (EUTM) and the registered Community design (RCD), as well as carrying out cooperation activities with the national and regional intellectual property (IP) offices of the EU.
The EUIPO carries out research and activities to combat IP rights infringement through the European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights

About EURid

EURid is the not-for-profit organisation that operates the .eu, .ею and .ευ top-level domains, following a tender process and appointment by the European Commission. EURid works with over 700 accredited registrars. As part of its ongoing commitment to data security, EURid has been certified for the ISO27001 security standard since 2013. EURid is also registered by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is an expression of its environmental commitment. EURid has its headquarters in Diegem (Belgium), and regional offices in Pisa (Italy), Prague (the Czech Republic) and Stockholm (Sweden). More information at: www.eurid.eu.

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Contact information

EUIPO: Ruth McDonald, Ruth.MCDONALD@euipo.europa.eu

EURid, Reelika Kirna, press@eurid.eu