Register a trade mark for hospitality

Hospitality and trademark registration: protect name and logo separately

For a hospitality business too, the name of a restaurant, café, food truck or hotel chain is only protected once it is registered as a trademark, not simply by using it on a storefront or menu card. If someone comes up with a name and does business with it, but does not register it, there is a risk that someone else will register the same or a very similar name — and then ask the first user to stop using it. For hospitality entrepreneurs who are expanding, franchising or opening a second location, this is a real risk, because a successful name is more likely to be copied.

A trademark registration is filed through the BOIP for the Benelux or through the EUIPO for the entire European Union, depending on where the business is active or wants to grow. When filing an application, you must choose from the classes of the Nice Classification: hospitality typically falls under the classes that cover the provision of food and drink and, where applicable, temporary accommodation at hotels or bed & breakfasts. Which classes are exactly right depends on what the business actually offers — a sandwich shop needs a different set than a hotel with a restaurant. Moreover, a trademark only protects what has been registered: name, logo, or both, in the chosen classes.

What this is based on: BOIP, EUIPO and the Nice Classification

This explanation follows from how the official trademark registers work: the BOIP register for Benelux marks, the EUIPO for Union marks, and the Nice Classification of the WIPO which determines in which classes a trademark is filed. For the exact class classification of a hospitality business, the Nice Classification itself is the reference; it indicates for each class which goods and services fall under it.