Trademarks

Within a six months’ period following the registration of a German trademark, it is possible to extend the protection of a trademark to other countries. Protection is then effective as of the day of the primary registration of the trademark in Germany. Apart from that, an international registration of a base German trademark is possible at the International Trademark Office (located at the WIPO/OMPI, World Organisation for Intellectual Property Protection). This registration is governed by the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Trademarks (MMA) and the Madrid Protocol (PMMA). Europe-wide registration of a trademark and an application for a domestic trademark effective abroad provide further possibilities.

1. International Trademark Registration (IR-trademarks)

The following countries are party to one or both of the above mentioned agreements. By means of an application with WIPO/OMPI we can extend the protection of a (usually German) base trademark to these countries. With the following chart we would like to give you an opportunity to determine the countries on which the protection of your trademark should be extended.

AG Antigua and Barbuda  AL Albania  AM Armenia  AT Austria  AU Australia**  AZ Azerbaijan  BA Bosnia and Herzegovina BG Bulgaria  BT Bhutan  BX Benelux  BY Belarus (Weißrussland)  CH Switzerland  CN China  CU Cuba  CZ Czech Republic  DK Denmark**

DZ Algeria  EE Estonia**  EG Egypt  ES Spain  FI Finland**  FR France  GB United Kingdom**  GE Georgia**  GR Greece**  HR Croatia  HU Hungary  IE Ireland  IS Iceland**  IT Italy  JP Japan**  KE Kenya  KG Kyrgyzstan  KP Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

KZ Kazakhstan  LI Liechtenstein   LR Liberia  LS Lesotho  LT Lithuania  LV Latvia   MA Morocco  MC Monaco  MD Rep. of Moldova  MK The former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia  MN Mongolia  MZ Mozambique  NO Norway**  PL Poland  PT Portugal  RO Romania

RU Russian Federation  SD Sudan  SE Sweden**  SG Singapore**  SI Slovenia  SK Slovakia  SL Sierra Leone  SM San-Marino  SZ Swaziland  TJ Tajikistan  TM Turkmenistan**  TR Turkey  UA Ukraine  UZ Uzbekistan  VN Viet Nam  YU Yougoslavia  ZM Zambia

The basic official fee for an international registration for three classes amounts to 653 Sfr. (approx. € 442). Starting from the fourth class the official fees are increased by 73 Sfr. per each class. For each country on which the protection of a trademark is to be extended additional official fees amounting to 73 Sfr. are charged. Filing an application via the German Patent and Trademarks Office is charged with the official fee of approx. € 176. In countries marked with “**”, individual fees are ranging from 112 to 1337 Sfr. The same applies to class fees, which range from 15 to 1262 Sfr. As far as our fees are concerned, you can find them in our performance specifications or have them estimated by us (including official fees) if you send us back this form.

The countries in bold and underlined printing are presently party to the Madrid Protocol only, the countries in italics are party to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Trademarks only. All the remaining countries are party to both agreements (MMA and PMMA).

2. Community Trademarks (EU-Trademarks, CTM)

By means of an application for a Community Trademark at the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) in Alicante, Spain, it is possible to apply for protection in all 25 member countries of the European Union. Members of the European Union are at present: Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, Finland, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Portugal, Spain Sweden, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia. Please note - in case of a trademark in German – that Switzerland is not a member of the EU and therefore it is recommended to register a trademark according to subsection 1. of this form.

The official fee for the application for a Community trademark in three classes amounts to € 975, an additional € 200 is charged per class starting from the fourth class. The registration of a Community trademark amounts to an additional official fee of € 1100, and another € 200 per class starting from the fourth class. You can find our fees in our performance specifications or have them estimated by us (including official fees) if you send us back this form.

3. Domestic trademarks effective abroad

As far as countries are concerned which are not party to either of the above mentioned agreements (e.g. until 1st November 2002 the USA which became a member of the PMMA on 2nd November 2003) it is necessary to apply for a national registration by means of overseas representatives. We have worldwide contacts. The ensuing costs vary from country to country and must be determined individually. We will be happy to inform you. Please contact us.