A brand in Poland is protected by registering a trademark at the Polish Patent Office (Urząd Patentowy RP). The application is filed online, for PLN 400 for one class of goods or services (each additional class costs PLN 120). After the right is granted, PLN 400 per class is paid for the first 10 years of protection. The whole process usually takes several months, with two key stages: checking that a similar mark does not yet exist, and the three-month deadline for oppositions.
Why an entry in KRS or CEIDG is not enough
A business name entered in the register of entrepreneurs and an internet domain do not give exclusive rights to designate goods and services. Only a protection right for a trademark allows one to prohibit others from using an identical or similar mark for similar products, to demand that counterfeits be removed from the market, or to report infringements to operators of sales platforms. A registered mark is also an asset: it can be sold, contributed in kind to a company or licensed for a fee.
A mark may be, among others:
- a word mark — the name alone, protected regardless of typeface and colours,
- a word-and-figurative mark — the name in a specific style or with a logo,
- a figurative mark — the logo alone,
- unusual signs: a shape, a colour arrangement, a sound, an animation.
For a small business, a word mark is usually the most versatile, because it protects the name also after a change of logo.
Poland, EU or the world — where to file
| Scope | Office | When to choose |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | Polish Patent Office | sales mainly on the domestic market, limited budget |
| The whole European Union | European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) | sales in several EU countries, online shop shipping abroad |
| Selected countries worldwide | Madrid system (WIPO), application via the Polish Patent Office | expansion beyond the EU, e.g. to the United Kingdom, the United States, Ukraine |
Protection is territorial: a mark registered in Poland does not protect the brand in Germany or Czechia. One may, however, start with a national filing and within 6 months extend protection abroad while preserving the priority date.
Procedure at the Polish Patent Office step by step
- Availability search. Before filing, it is worth searching the databases: the e-Search of the Polish Patent Office, TMview and the Global Brand Database. The office itself will not refuse registration due to similarity to someone else's mark — this is done only on an opposition from the owner. That is why self-verification is so important.
- List of goods and services. Goods and services are assigned to classes of the Nice Classification (45 classes). The office recommends the TMclass tool. For example, downloadable software is class 9, programming services class 42, an online shop class 35.
- Filing and fee. The application is filed through the office's e-services platform. The fee is paid together with the application.
- Disclosure of the application. Within two months, the application becomes visible in the e-Search.
- Examination of absolute grounds. The office assesses, above all, distinctive character: purely descriptive names (e.g. "Szybka Księgowość" for accounting services) usually do not pass.
- Publication and oppositions. After a positive examination the application is published in the Bulletin of the Polish Patent Office. For 3 months from publication, owners of earlier marks may file an opposition. This deadline cannot be restored.
- Conditional decision and fee for protection. With no opposition (or after it is resolved), the office issues a conditional decision. The fee for the first period of protection must be paid within 3 months of delivery of the decision — otherwise the decision expires.
Official fees in 2026
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Electronic filing — 1 class | PLN 400 |
| Paper filing — 1 class | PLN 450 |
| Each additional class | PLN 120 |
| Protection for 10 years — per class | PLN 400 |
| Renewal for another 10 years — per class | PLN 400 (after the deadline, within 6 months: +30%) |
Example: a word mark for a software studio in classes 9 and 42, filed online, is PLN 520 at filing and PLN 800 as a protection fee — PLN 1,320 of official fees in total for 10 years, plus a PLN 90 fee for publication of information on the grant. For a joint filing (several owners), the filing fee increases by 100%. A person who shows that they cannot bear the full fee may apply for a partial exemption — down to at least 20% of the amount.
Most common reasons for refusal and disputes
- a descriptive name or one commonly used in the industry — no distinctive character,
- similarity to an earlier mark in the same or related classes, revealed only in an opposition,
- too broad a list of goods and services, which provokes oppositions,
- too narrow a list, which after a few years does not cover new products,
- filing the mark in the name of a private person instead of the company that actually uses it — which later requires a transfer agreement.
After registration: use, monitoring, renewal
The protection right lasts 10 years from the filing date and can be renewed without limit. The fee for a further period is paid no earlier than a year before the end of protection, and at the latest within an additional six-month deadline with a 30% surcharge. After that deadline the right expires irrevocably. The mark must also actually be used: non-use for 5 years may lead to the right lapsing on an application from a third party. It is worth setting up alerts for new filings of similar marks so as not to miss the deadline to file your own opposition.
Details of the procedure are published by the Polish Patent Office, including the table of filing fees.
How Good Balance helps
We help assess whether a name is suitable for registration, prepare the list of goods and services and plan protection in Poland and abroad — as part of a legal consultation. We also prepare licence agreements and agreements for transferring the mark between the owner and the company, in the service drafting of agreements. If the brand is to run through an online shop, our guide how to open an online shop will be useful.