Trademark registration Slovenia

Registering a brand name in Slovenia is necessary if you want to obtain the exclusive rights over it. The country has a first-to-file jurisdiction. Registering a trademark in Slovenia can be done in several classes. For foreign entrepreneurs, the registration procedure must be completed by a trademark attorney.

To apply for trademark protection in Slovenia, it is not necessary to actually already have it in use. However, this does not alter the fact that active use prior to a registration procedure drastically reduces the chance of objection on the basis of defective distinctiveness. You should also check whether the trademark or a trademark closely resembling it is already in use prior to submitting your application. The Slovenian patent office does not investigate this.

The first step in the application procedure involves submitting an application to the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office. This may be in Slovenian, English, German or French. If you choose one of the last three, you must submit a Slovenian translation within three months of submitting your application. The review procedure starts with a formal investigation by the specialists of the patent office. If your application meets the requirements, publication in the trade bulletin “Bilten za industrijsko lastnino” will take place.

An opposition period of three months starts immediately after publication. Third parties can exercise their right to object within this period, for example on the basis of exclusive trademark rights previously acquired by them. If there is no objection, or if you can successfully defend yourself against this, registration is a fact and you will receive a certificate. Registering a trademark in Slovenia usually takes 12 months.

It is allowed to combine several elements with each other. You can also apply for trademark protection for a combined trademark. Successful registration leads to the protection of the trademark, in the exact combination of elements provided to the Slovenian Patent Office. The elements are therefore not protected separately from each other.

If you also want to realize the protection of individual elements, it is necessary to submit a separate application for this. If you fail to do this, a third party could legally use such an element. You can do something about this in only one situation: if this person or company offers the same goods or services (or things that are very similar to your offer), you object based on confusing similarity. The success of such an objection is highly situation-dependent.