Trade-mark law is national, so a trade-mark must be registered in each country wherein protection is sought. One exception to this rule is the European Union, which allows for a single trade-mark application to cover all 28 EU-members. Again, it’s always recommended to perform an availability search before filing a trade-mark application.

However, if you file a trade-mark application in Canada, you can later claim conventional priority rights for other countries. Once your application has been filed in Canada, you’ll have a period of six months to secure that same filing date for your applications in other countries.