International Trademark Registration for Taiwan Brands: US, EU, Australia, and Japan

A trademark registered in Taiwan protects your brand only in Taiwan. The moment you sell your products in the US, EU, Australia, or Japan, your Taiwan trademark registration provides zero legal protection in those markets. A local competitor can register your brand name, logo, or trade dress in your target market and legally prevent you from selling there.

Trademark squatting — where third parties register well-known foreign brand names in a market before the original owner — is common and expensive to undo. Resolving a trademark squatting situation can cost $50,000–$200,000 in legal fees and years of litigation. The cost of proactive trademark registration is a fraction of this.

Amazon Brand Registry requires an active trademark: to enroll in Amazon Brand Registry (which unlocks A+ Content, Brand Stores, Sponsored Brand Ads, and anti-counterfeit protections), you need a registered or pending trademark in the Amazon marketplace's country. For Amazon US, you need a USPTO registration or pending application. For Amazon Japan, a JPO registration. Without a trademark, you cannot access any of these competitive tools.

For Taiwan brands entering the US, Australian, and Japanese markets, filing trademark applications in all three markets simultaneously — before your public launch — is the minimum brand protection standard.

The USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) registers trademarks that are used (or intended to be used) in US commerce. A trademark can be a word mark (brand name), design mark (logo), or combination mark (name + logo).

Filing basis: foreign applicants with no US sales history file under 44(e) (based on a home country registration) or 44(d) (claiming priority from a recent home country filing). For brands actively selling in the US, 1(a) (in-use) is also an option. The 44(d) basis gives you a 6-month priority window from your Taiwan TIPO filing date to file in the US with the same effective date.

Word mark vs. design mark: file both if budget allows. A word mark protects the brand name in any font or style. A design mark protects a specific logo design. Amazon Brand Registry accepts either. Most Taiwan brands file a word mark first as the higher-priority asset.

Cost: USPTO filing fee is $250–$350 per class per application (TEAS Plus application). US trademark attorney fees: $500–$1,500 for drafting and filing. Total for a single word mark in one class: $750–$1,850 per market. Plan for 12–18 months from filing to registration.

Amazon Brand Registry with a pending application: Amazon accepts pending USPTO applications for Brand Registry enrollment — you do not need to wait for registration approval. This is the most common path: file, receive the serial number, and use that serial number to enroll in Brand Registry while the full registration is in progress.

The Madrid Protocol is an international treaty administered by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) that allows trademark owners to file one international application and designate multiple member countries simultaneously.

How it works: file a "base application" in your home country (Taiwan's TIPO). Then file an international application through TIPO designating the countries where you want protection. WIPO transmits the application to each designated country's trademark office. Each designated country examines the application under its own rules and either approves or refuses.

Benefits: one application, one set of fees, one renewal. Significantly cheaper and simpler than filing separately in each country for brands targeting 5+ countries.

Costs via Madrid Protocol: international filing fee approximately $680 USD (one class, standard designation fee). Each individual country designation fee varies — US (USPTO): $400, EU (EUIPO): $897 for one class, Australia (IP Australia): $330, Japan (JPO): $600. Total for US + EU + AU + JP coverage: approximately $2,500–$3,500 in official fees, plus attorney costs.

Taiwan's TIPO participates in the Madrid Protocol. You can file through TIPO after receiving your Taiwan trademark registration or application. Processing time: 12–18 months for each designated country to respond.

Limitation of Madrid Protocol: the international application is dependent on your base Taiwan application for the first 5 years. If your Taiwan trademark is cancelled or invalidated in the first 5 years, your international registrations are also cancelled. After 5 years, the international registrations become independent.

Australia (IP Australia): trademark registration in Australia is relatively fast (3–6 months from filing to acceptance if no opposition) and inexpensive (AUD $250 per class filing fee). Australia follows the Nice Classification system (same as Taiwan). Filing directly with IP Australia is straightforward and does not always require a local attorney for simple word mark applications.

Japan (JPO): Japan's trademark system is one of the most methodical in the world. All trademarks are examined for distinctiveness and prior conflicting marks. Processing time: 12–18 months. The JPO requires a Japanese address for service, which means using a Japanese patent attorney (benrishi) for filing — attorney fees of ¥50,000–¥150,000 are typical.

European Union (EUIPO): an EU trademark (EUTM) covers all 27 EU member states with one filing. This is excellent value for brands targeting Europe. Filing fee: €850 for one class. Processing: 4–6 months if no opposition. If you receive an EU trademark but there is no challenge within the 3-month opposition window, it proceeds to registration.

Class selection: trademarks are filed in specific Nice Classification classes. Most consumer goods brands need Class 35 (retail services) plus the specific product class (Class 8 for knives, Class 21 for kitchenware, Class 3 for cosmetics, Class 5 for supplements, etc.). Filing in the wrong class is a common amateur mistake — your trademark does not protect products in classes you have not designated.

Trademark watch service: after registration, subscribe to a trademark watch service that monitors new trademark applications in your markets for potentially conflicting marks. Cost: $200–$500 per year per market. Services: Thomson CompuMark, Dennemeyer, or your trademark attorney's monitoring service. Acting early on a potential conflict is far less expensive than litigating after both marks are established.

Enforcement: registering a trademark does not automatically prevent infringement — you must actively monitor for unauthorized use and enforce your rights. Common enforcement scenarios on Amazon: counterfeit sellers using your brand name in their titles or as keywords, unauthorized use of your logo, or infringing product listings.

Amazon Brand Registry enforcement tools: with a registered trademark and active Brand Registry enrollment, you can report trademark infringement through Brand Registry's Report a Violation tool. Amazon removes verified infringing listings within 24–48 hours in most cases.

Trademark maintenance: US trademarks require maintenance filings. Between years 5 and 6, file a Section 8 declaration of continued use ($225/class). Between years 9 and 10, file a combined Section 8 and 9 renewal ($425/class). Renewals every 10 years thereafter. Failure to file maintenance declarations results in cancellation. Use a docketing service or attorney reminder system.

International trademark renewal: Madrid Protocol registrations renew every 10 years for the international registration as a whole (single renewal covers all designations). Individual country renewals differ — monitor renewal deadlines through your WIPO account or attorney.