EUIPO

Overview

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) was originally established as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) in 1994 and began operations in 1996. It is headquartered in Alicante, Spain, and oversees the registration and administration of key IP rights in the European Union (EU). The EUIPO provides uniform protection for all its member states through a single registration system, most notably the EU trade mark (EUTM) and the EU design (EUD). Over time, regulations have been updated—most significantly in 2016, when OHIM was renamed as EUIPO and the legal framework was harmonized under Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 for EU trade marks, and in 2022, with the Regulation (EU) 2024/2822 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 on Community designs and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 2246/2002.

Although the EUIPO is central to EU-wide trademarks and designs, patent protection within the European Union is overseen by the European Patent Office (EPO), not the EUIPO. Applicants who need patent protection typically seek a European patent through the EPO or rely on national patent offices.