Who Can Oppose a Trademark Registration?

Not everyone can oppose a trademark registration, but relevant and interested parties hold the right to oppose. People who can oppose a trademark registration:

• Trademark owners: If a new trademark application has been previously registered by someone else, or if it risks confusion with a similar mark, the owners of the previously registered mark can file an opposition.
• Consumers and consumer associations: They can oppose when they believe the mark is against general morality, public order, or social values.
• Intellectual property attorney firms and legal advisors: They can oppose on grounds that the application fails to meet legal requirements, is not distinctive, or contains other legal defects.
• Government bodies and official organizations. When a mark is thought to harm public order or public interest, official bodies can intervene.

Opposition needs to be filed within two months after the trademark is published in the Bulletin.