IP

Trademark & IP registration

Intellectual property is territorial. There is no single world trademark or world patent, and the treaties that come closest, the Madrid Protocol for marks, the PCT for patents, the Berne Convention for copyright, streamline filing and cost, not the underlying grant. We scope what is worth protecting, in which markets, and coordinate the filings through local trademark attorneys and patent agents rather than acting as attorney of record ourselves. Where holding structures and IP-box regimes are in play, we model the real, post-nexus benefit and say plainly when your IP will not qualify.

Last verified July 2026

What this covers

  • Scope and file national and regional trademarks through vetted local counsel, selecting goods and services under the Nice Classification and choosing the jurisdictions that matter, rather than filing everywhere.
  • Coordinate a single Madrid Protocol (WIPO) international application off a home basic mark to designate multiple territories under one filing, one renewal date and one currency (Swiss francs).
  • Arrange patent protection end to end. That means priority filing, a PCT international application to preserve rights across the contracting states, then national or regional phase entry (for example via the EPO) through local patent agents.
  • Handle copyright practically. Confirm automatic Berne protection, and where it strengthens enforcement or licensing, notably US registration before suit, arrange formal registration and clean chain-of-title assignments.
  • Design IP-holding structures, deciding where the marks, patents and software should sit, with attention to royalty withholding tax, treaty access, economic substance and controlled-foreign-company exposure.
  • Assess IP-box eligibility honestly. Model Cyprus or the Irish Knowledge Development Box against the OECD modified-nexus fraction, and tell you when trademarks or acquired IP fall outside it.
  • Run the portfolio calendar across counsel, tracking renewals, proof-of-use deadlines, oppositions and watch services, so rights are not lost to a missed date.
  • Every official and professional fee goes into a written, itemised quotation. We do not publish or invent our own prices. IP-box rates depend on facts we need to see first.

Scope & conditions

Madrid Protocol (WIPO)
116 members covering 132 countries (as of 2026; confirm). Basic fee 653 CHF, or 903 CHF for a colour mark, plus 100 CHF per class above three and per-designation complementary/individual fees. Registration runs 10 years, renewable indefinitely.
Patents / PCT
158 PCT contracting states (as of mid-2026; confirm — the Bahamas was reported as joining in May 2026). A PCT filing does not grant a patent; national/regional-phase entry is generally required within 30 months of the priority date (31 in some offices).
Copyright / Berne Convention
Automatic protection in all 181 member states from creation and fixation — no registration, filing or notice required. Minimum term life of the author plus 50 years; life plus 70 in the US and EU.
Cyprus IP box
80% notional deduction on qualifying net IP profit. With corporate tax raised from 12.5% to 15% on 1 January 2026 (Pillar Two), the effective rate is roughly 2.5–3% (confirm). Patents, copyrighted software and R&D-derived IP qualify; trademarks and marketing intangibles do not.
Ireland Knowledge Development Box
10% effective rate on qualifying profit (since 1 October 2023, up from 6.25%). Available for accounting periods commencing before 1 January 2027, with a review under way in 2026 (confirm). Qualifying assets are patents, copyrighted software and plant-breeders' rights from R&D — not trademarks.
Trademark term (general)
National and Madrid registrations typically run 10 years and are renewable indefinitely, but rights are territorial and, in some jurisdictions, vulnerable to cancellation for non-use (often after 3–5 years).

How it works

  • A Madrid Protocol filing needs a basic application or registration in your home office. For the first five years, it depends on that basic mark. If the home mark falls, the international registration can fall with it, a risk known as central attack, though it may still be transformed into national filings.
  • The IP-box benefit is tied to your own research. Under the OECD modified-nexus approach, the qualifying fraction is your in-house and unrelated-party R&D (QE), divided by total spend including acquisition and related-party outsourcing (OE). There is an uplift, capped at 30% of QE. Buying IP or outsourcing to affiliates dilutes the benefit.
  • An IP box needs genuine substance. That means real R&D activity and, in practice, people and function based in the jurisdiction. A holding company that merely owns acquired IP will not achieve the headline rate.
  • National trademark filing requires classification of goods and services. In some jurisdictions, notably the US, you also need evidence of use or bona fide intent to use.
  • Patent rights have to be pursued market by market. The PCT and priority filings buy time, but grant, cost and validity are decided office by office. Public disclosure before filing can destroy novelty.
  • Holding-structure choices depend on royalty withholding tax, double-tax treaties, substance and CFC rules in the family's countries of residence. These are facts we need to confirm before recommending anything.
What can go wrong
  • Trademarks and other marketing intangibles generally do not qualify for an IP box. The OECD nexus rules deliberately tie the benefit to real R&D. A brand-holding company should not expect the ~2.5–3% (Cyprus) or 10% (Ireland) rates.
  • Rates and regimes change. Cyprus's 15% corporate tax lifted the IP-box effective rate toward 3% in 2026. Ireland's KDB is limited to accounting periods before 1 January 2027 and is under review. Treat every figure here as current as of 2026, and confirm before relying on it.
  • We do not quote our own fee for this work on the page, and we do not invent third-party costs. Official WIPO fees are set in Swiss francs and change over time. Local counsel and government fees vary widely by jurisdiction and are quoted in writing before you commit.
  • We arrange and coordinate. We are not the filing attorney or patent agent of record. Formal representation is provided by qualified local counsel we instruct on your behalf.
  • A Madrid or PCT filing is not a global right. Each designation or national phase is examined, opposed and enforced under local law. It can be refused in one country while granted in another.

Frequently asked

Does a Madrid Protocol registration give me one global trademark?

No. It is a single application with one renewal date, administered by WIPO. But it results in a bundle of independent national rights in each territory you designate. Each designated office examines the mark under its own law. Each can refuse or accept it separately. And for the first five years, the whole registration depends on your home basic mark.

Can I put my brand or trademark into a Cyprus or Irish IP box to cut tax?

Generally, no. Both regimes follow the OECD modified nexus approach, which excludes marketing intangibles such as trademarks, brands, image rights and goodwill. Qualifying assets are patents, copyrighted software and other R&D-derived IP. If your value sits in a brand rather than in patented or software technology, the IP box is usually the wrong tool.

What effective tax rate does the Cyprus IP box actually give in 2026?

The regime allows an 80% notional deduction on qualifying net IP profit. Cyprus raised corporate tax from 12.5% to 15% on 1 January 2026 to meet the Pillar Two minimum, so the effective rate is now roughly 2.5–3% depending on how it is measured, and only on the portion that passes the nexus fraction. Treat the exact figure as something to confirm for your own facts.

Do I need to register my copyright, and where?

Under the Berne Convention, protection is automatic in all 181 member states from the moment a work is created and fixed. No registration or notice is required. Registration is still worth arranging in specific cases. US law requires a registration before you can sue for infringement of a US work, and a registry entry can help prove ownership and date in licensing or disputes.

What does the Madrid Protocol cost to file?

WIPO's fees (as of 2026, confirm) start with a basic fee of 653 Swiss francs, or 903 for a mark in colour, plus 100 CHF for each class of goods and services above three. On top of that comes a per-country charge, either a 100 CHF complementary fee for standard designations or an individual fee (often 200–300+ CHF) for countries that set their own. Local attorney costs are additional and quoted separately. We do not add an undisclosed mark-up.

Is a PCT patent application the same as getting a patent?

No. A PCT filing gives you a single international application and, in most countries, until 30 months from your priority date to decide where to seek protection. It buys time and a search or opinion, not a granted patent. You must still enter the national or regional phase in each market, where examination, grant and enforcement happen under local law.

Need trademark & ip registration done properly?

One named person on your file, and an honest answer on scope, timeline and cost.