Between 2019 and 2023, the top 1,000 EUIPO trademark attorney firms collectively registered 423,223 trademark applications.
During this period, there were significant fluctuations in filing activities. In 2019, filings totaled 81,837, increasing to 90,325 in 2020—a growth of approximately 10%. This upward trend continued into 2021, with filings reaching 106,859, representing an unprecedented 18% increase. By the end of 2021, business activity had strongly recovered from COVID-19, making it a record year for trademark application volumes among major European trademark firms, with every major register seeing record filing levels.
Due to the new economic and societal challenges the world faced in 2022, that year marked a turning point, with filings by the top EUIPO trademark filers decreasing by 14%. Despite concerns of a further decline in 2023 due to the uncertain economic outlook, the year proved to be one of stability, with the filing activities of European trademark firms remaining relatively steady, as evidenced by IP Pilot data.
Trademark Applications by EUIPO Trademark Firms
EUIPO Trademark Attorney Firms: Country Breakdown
Between 2019 and 2023, German trademark attorney firms led the way with 97,321 filings in EUIPO or 23% of the total number of the trademark filings, followed by Spain with 83,165 – 20% and Italy with 54,664 – 13%. France also demonstrated robust activity with 39,051 filings. Other notable contributors included the Netherlands with 27,084 filings, Sweden with 18,506, and Ireland with 18,186.
Despite the recent overall decline, a few firms have shone brightly in EUIPO Top 50. ASTERNERY stands out with an unprecedented 2641% increase in prosecuted trademark filings since 2019, largely thanks to successful collaborations with multiple Chinese applicants.
Similarly, INTERMARK PATENTES & MARCAS and ZELLER & SEYFERT capitalized on similar clientele origins to boost their represented trademark filings by over 278% and 112% respectively.
Other notable firms within the Top 50 experiencing significant growth include METIDA LAW FIRM (60%), IBE AVOCAT (53%), IPSIDE (81%), PORTS GROUP AB (154%) and SOCIETÀ ITALIANA BREVETTI S.P.A. (55%). These firms – except for IBE AVOCAT – maintained a diverse client portfolio, with a notable focus on local trademark filers.
The top 50 European trademark attorney firms collectively represented 155,813 applications between 2019 and 2023, accounting for 37% of all prosecuted filings.
Following the country-wide statistics, German, Spanish, and Italian firms dominated this list.
Leading Spanish firms included ASTERNERY, HERRERO & ASSOCIADOS, INTERMARK PATENTES & MARCAS, ARCADE & ASOCIADOS, PONS PATENTES Y MARCAS, ISERN PATENTES Y MARCAS, and HOGAN LOVELLS.
Germany was represented by BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT, SÜLE LAW FIRM, ZELLER & SEYFERT, and GRÜNECKER.
Top Italian firms featured A.BRE.MAR., BUGNION, BARZANO & ZANARDO, JACOBACCI & PARTNERS, and GLP SRL.
Among the top firms from other nationalities were GEVERS from Belgium, FRKelly, STOBBS IP LIMITED, and LANE IP from Ireland, MERK-ECHT B.V. from the Netherlands, IP CYPRUS from Cyprus, and SAKELLARIDES LAW OFFICES from Greece.
Top 50 EUIPO Trademark Attorney Firms 2019-2023
EUIPO Applicants: Country of Origin
From 2019 to 2023, the landscape of trademark filings at EUIPO reveals a diverse array of applicant countries.
Leading the charge is China, with a substantial 78,039 filings, demonstrating a robust presence and strategic interest in the European market, which significantly contributed to the business of several European representatives.
Germany follows closely with 50,649 filings, explaining why German representatives were among the most active at EUIPO.
The United States and Italy also show considerable engagement with 46,493 and 35,565 filings respectively, highlighting their proactive involvement in trademark registration across the EU.
To sum up, between 2019 and 2023, the top 1,000 EUIPO trademark attorney firms collectively registered 423,223 trademark applications, with significant fluctuations in filing activities. Filings rose from 81,837 in 2019 to a peak of 106,859 in 2021 before decreasing by 14% in 2022 due to economic challenges. Despite stability in 2023, German firms led the filings with 97,321 applications, followed by Spain and Italy. Notable firms with significant growth include ASTERNERY and INTERMARK PATENTES & MARCAS. The top 50 firms accounted for 37% of filings, with Germany, Spain, and Italy dominating. China, Germany, and the United States were leading applicant countries.
