What is the difference between a word mark and a figurative mark?

A word mark protects the name, a figurative mark the appearance

A word mark protects the name or text itself, independent of how it looks. If, for example, only the word is registered, the protection covers that word — regardless of the typeface, colour or formatting in which it is used later. A figurative mark, by contrast, protects the specific appearance as it has been submitted: a logo, a typeface execution, a combination of text and image, or a purely graphic element without text. With a figurative mark, therefore, protection covers the form as it has been filed, not the name in any other arbitrary formatting.

That distinction also determines what is actually protected in practice and what is not. A word mark covers the name in every spelling and formatting, which often provides broader protection when it comes to the name itself. A figurative mark covers the specific design: if the logo changes later — different typeface, different icon, different colour scheme — that new version may fall outside what the original figurative mark covers. For a business that has both a name and a recognisable logo, it is therefore common for both to be considered separately, or for a combination to be chosen in which name and image together are registered as a single mark. Which choice is appropriate depends on what needs to be protected in practice: the name, the design, or both.

Where this distinction comes from

The distinction between word mark and figurative mark is a basic classification used by the EUIPO for the mark types that can be applied for via the EU trade mark, and the same classification applies to national and Benelux registrations. For the precise definition of what falls under each type, the text refers to the information provided by the EUIPO itself.