Trade marks
At the end of 2019, a total of 514,825 trade marks were in force in Switzerland. This is significantly more than in the previous year (507,100 trade marks).
Trade mark statistics
This page shows figures and information on trade mark applications in Switzerland. To protect a trade mark in Switzerland, an application needs to be submitted to the IPI. The trade mark is then examined and, if successful, it is entered into the Swiss trade mark register Swissreg. For national applications, applying online comes up trumps — 97% of applications to the IPI are submitted via the online application system eTrademark.
Applications per canton (2019)
Most trade mark applications come from the canton of Zurich (15.3%). This is followed by Vaud (7.7%), Zug (6.4%), Geneva (6.4%), and Bern (6.1%).
Please note that if there are several applicants from different cantons, the trade mark is counted more than once.
The most common classifications of goods and services (2019)
The List of Goods and Services shows that most trade marks are registered in Class 35 (advertising, business management etc.). Whoever registers a trade mark must decide which class it should be registered for.
The most common types of trade mark (2019)
Applicants opt for the following trade mark types — word marks (56.3%), combined word/figurative marks (39.5%), figurative marks (3.9%) or other types such as acoustic marks (0.3%).
Trade marks in annual comparison
In Switzerland, trade marks can be registered in two ways. A company can file an application directly with the IPI or they can take the international registration route. This allows companies abroad to automatically extend their trade mark protection to other countries, including Switzerland.
| 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|
National trade mark applications | 17 177 | 16 880 | 16 966 |
National trade mark registrations 1 | 15 137 | 14 314 | 13 972 |
International registrations with protection extended to Switzerland | 16 659 | 15 504 | 16 065 |
National renewals | 11 387 | 11 055 | 11 324 |
International renewals | 12 993 | 12 437 | 13 459 |
Total trade marks active in Switzerland | 514 825 | 507 100 | - |
(1) Trade mark registrations — this figure refers to all trade marks registered in the year 2019. It may include applications from previous years which have since been entered in the register.
Further details
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