Register a trademark in Kosovo: how to protect your mark at KIPA

Why you need a separate registration in Kosovo

Albania and Kosovo are two separate jurisdictions, with different registers, offices and laws. In Kosovo, trademarks are governed by the Law on Trademarks (No. 04/L-026, as amended), broadly harmonised with EU standards. Trademark protection is territorial: if your mark is registered only with the General Directorate of Industrial Property (DPPI), you have no protection in Kosovo, and meanwhile another party may register the same sign there before you.

The principles are familiar: the mark must be distinctive; descriptive or deceptive signs and those contrary to public policy are refused, while conflicts with earlier marks are raised through opposition.

Kosovo outside the Madrid System

Kosovo is not a member of WIPO and is not a party to the Madrid System for trademarks, the Hague Agreement for designs or the PCT for patents. So an international registration through Madrid, even one covering many countries, does not extend protection to Kosovo. The only route is a national application filed directly with KIPA. Even a world-famous mark can remain “free” in Kosovo until someone registers it there first.

Who can apply

From Kosovo you create your account just as from Albania: as an individual with your personal number (10 digits), or as a business with your NUI (8–10 digits). Once you verify your e-mail, you can apply for Kosovo, for Albania or for both. Applicants from other countries use the international sign-up, where they also choose their representative.

Applying for Kosovo on trademark.al

1. Search the name under Search: the marks of Kosovo and Albania and the ARBK and QKB businesses. See the Kosovo trademark search.
2. Choose Kosovo at the first step of the 9-step form. If you have your own representative for Kosovo, they are shown locked; otherwise choose a public representative, or TMA's default representative for Kosovo takes the work.
3. Fill in the mark and the classes: the AI class agent proposes the Nice classes with the official terms; the name check compares your mark with Kosovo's marks and companies.
4. Pay by card or by bank transfer. Kosovo has its own fees and you see the total before paying.
5. Power of attorney: for Kosovo a scanned, signed power of attorney is enough – you upload it on the authorisation page within 30 days, with no post needed. As an individual, you sign it before a notary.
6. Follow the status on the mark's page: you are notified whenever the representative files the mark or changes the official status.

The procedure at KIPA

• Filing the application, with the sign, the owner and the goods and services by Nice class; applications have numbers in the form KS/M/year/number.
• Examination: KIPA examines whether the sign can be protected, in particular whether it is distinctive.
• Publication in KIPA's bulletin.
• Opposition: holders of earlier rights can oppose within the legal deadline after publication.
• Registration and protection for 10 years, renewable for further 10-year periods without limit.

After registration: use it and protect it

• Genuine use: in Kosovo too, a mark may be revoked if it is not genuinely used for 5 years without a valid reason.
• Enforcement: the owner can ask the courts of Kosovo to stop an infringement and award damages, and ask customs to stop counterfeit goods at the border.
• Monitoring: monitoring compares your mark with new Kosovo marks and ARBK businesses.
• Renewal: the Kosovo registration has its own expiry date, independent of the Albanian one.

A strategy for businesses active in both countries

Apply in both countries, ideally at the same time, with the same sign and the same class logic. If you apply in one country first, do not delay the other: until then, someone else may get there before you. When your mark is at TMA, “Apply in Kosovo too” on the mark's page creates the Kosovo application with the same details; it is checked against Kosovo's register and paid at Kosovo's fees. For Albania, see registering a trademark in Albania.

Current fees

Kosovo

Office application fee (1 class included)

10.000,00 ALL

Each additional class

7.500,00 ALL

Certificate fee

10.000,00 ALL

Legal representation

19.999,00 ALL

Total for 1 class

43.258,92 ALL

The total includes the office fee, representation, the administration fee and the transaction fee. The full price, line by line, is shown before payment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I register a trademark in Kosovo through TMA?

Yes. At the first step of the form choose Kosovo: the mark is filed with KIPA by your representative for Kosovo or by TMA's default representative for Kosovo. You find the representatives for Kosovo in the public list.

Does a mark registered in Albania protect me in Kosovo?

No. Protection is territorial: a mark registered in Albania does not protect you in Kosovo, and vice versa. For both you need a registration in each country.

Can I have the same representative for Albania and Kosovo?

Yes, if the representative is authorised for both countries. You have one representative of your own per country; it can be the same person or two different representatives.

Do I have to post the power of attorney for Kosovo?

No. For Kosovo a scanned power of attorney is enough; you upload it on the authorisation page. The deadline to send it is 30 days, as for every application.

Does the same class system apply in Kosovo?

Yes. KIPA also uses the Nice Classification with 45 classes, so you can use the same list of goods and services in both applications.

Protect your trademark in Kosovo

Choose Kosovo in the 9-step form, see the total before you pay and upload the scanned power of attorney – no post needed.

• Apply for Kosovo
• Search trademarks
• Representatives
• Nice classes