Trademark protection in Sweden – how it works

With Swedish trademark protection, you secure the intellectual property rights to your trademark on the Swedish market. It also protects you from unknowingly infringing on another party’s trademark. Below you can read more about how trademark protection in Sweden works and why it is important to have.

What does trademark protection involve?

Trademark protection is about ensuring the exclusive right of use of things that characterize the particular products or services your company markets. That is, your trademark, which can be anything from a logo or a special sound, to a font, a figure, or a particular design. Put simply, a trademark can be likened to the public face of a company – something you want to inspire trust, arouse interest, and symbolises the values your company stands for.

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FOR YOU RUNNING A BUSINESS IN SWEDEN

3 reasons to protect your trademark

Secures exclusivity

It is illegal for others to use a registered trademark. As the owner of a protected trademark, you have the law on your side in case a dispute arises.

Prevents infringement

Trademark protection in Sweden is only granted if there is not already an identical or similar trademark registered with PRV. So a registration not only prevents others from illegally using your mark – it also protects you from accidentally infringing on another party’s.

Increases value

Companies with a registered, protected trademark are often valued more highly by investors. Commercially, trademark protection is a smart move strategically.

Two paths to Swedish trademark protection

The easiest and quickest way to protect your trademark in Sweden is to apply for trademark registration with the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV). However, in order for you to get proper protection, it is important that you are thorough with the preparatory work and that you enter the correct information and trademark classes.

If you want help with your registration, we at Abion are happy to help. With in-depth expertise in trademark protection – in all aspects – we ensure that your application is correct for your specific purposes. Via your customer portal Abion Core, you can also manage your trademark once it has been registered. There you will find, among other things, functions for trademark monitoring, domain registration, and management of certificates.

Trademark protection can also be obtained without the need to apply for registration. This, however, requires that the brand has been well established for a long period of time – usually several years. Since registration with PRV is a safer and significantly faster way to get trademark protection in Sweden, this option is preferable.

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Laws and rules for trademark protection

In Sweden, there are a number of different laws and ordinances that regulate trademark protection. The most comprehensive are:

Criteria for protection by trademark registration

Trademark protection aims to protect the unique characteristics that differentiate a good or service from similar ones on the market. This means that for a trademark registration to be granted, the following criteria must be met:

There must be a clear distinction between your products or services and similar ones on the market.
It can’t be possible to confuse your trademark with others on the market.

If your application for registration is rejected, it is usually because one of the above requirements is not met. It’s also important to keep in mind that your trademark isn’t allowed to be too descriptive for the product or service it is intended to represent. This is so that no company gets exclusive rights to words that are necessary to describe part of a product or service – for example, "coffee" or "IT services".

FAQ about trademark protection in Sweden

How do I place an order with you?

After logging into the customer portal, you will find the tab "+create order" in the top right corner. You can simply place an order for the service(s) you require.

If you have the permission to place an order, the button will be green. Once you click on the button, a window will appear with selectable services. You can simply place an order with the services you desire.

Why isn’t my domain working?

If you are experiencing an urgent issue with your domain not functioning properly, please contact us immediately at phone number: +46 31 720 20 00 or at support@abion.com.

Why can’t I make changes to DNS (the various permissions) in the customer portal?

In the customer portal, there are different levels of permissions. The first level is the "view only" permission, which means you do not have the authority to manage or make corrections to the services on the account. Depending on the permission level you have, you may have the rights to administer and manage domains and DNS records for the account.

My domain has been renewed, why is that?

With Abion, you have peace of mind as we are responsible for renewing the domain annually. You need to actively terminate the domain to prevent the renewal from taking place. Typically, domain termination should be done 3 months before the annual invoice is sent out.

How do I change contact information for my domain?

If you wish to update information for your domain, such as changing address or contact details, you can do so within your account in the portal. If the company has changed its name or organizational number, an ownership transfer is required. If only the address needs to be updated, a "change contact" is sufficient.

To update the information for your domain, first enter your new details in the "+create contact" section located under the "contacts" tab on the left. Then, go to the specific domain for which you want to change the contact information and click on the "change contact" button. The new contact details will be selectable under the "change contact" section.

Want to know more about trademark protection in Sweden?

Contact us and we will tell you more!