Do I need a trademark before I launch a private label product?
For Amazon Brand Registry, yes: Amazon asks you to "have a pending or registered trademark for your brand name or logo". Elsewhere a registration protects the name you build. A national application for one class costs EUR 90 in Latvia, EUR 145 in Estonia, EUR 250 in Finland in 2026 and SEK 2,700 in Sweden by e-service.
Is a registered trade mark required to sell a private label product?
None of the rules on this page makes registration a condition of selling, but two things make the mark matter before launch. Amazon makes a pending or registered trade mark a condition of Brand Registry. For cosmetics, the EU Cosmetics Regulation ties the brand's legal role to the name or trade mark on the product.
A registration also protects the name you print on every label of your first order. The Commission's Your Europe page frames the choice by territory: national protection where you trade, or an EU trade mark for all EU countries.
What does Amazon Brand Registry ask for?
A trade mark for your brand name or logo, registered or applied for. Amazon's Brand Registry page asks for "an active, registered trademark or a pending trademark application", "issued by the designated government trademark office of a country with a corresponding Amazon store".
During enrolment you select one country's trademark office; other countries can be added after approval. Amazon's public page does not list the accepted offices by name; the list sits behind the seller login. A brand without a trade mark can use Amazon's IP Accelerator, which connects it with vetted legal service providers.
More on selling through Amazon with a European manufacturer: private label for Amazon sellers.
Should I register an EU trade mark or a national one?
It depends on where you sell. The Commission's Your Europe page says: "If you only trade in one EU country, you will only need protection in that country." It adds: "If you need protection in all EU countries, you should register your trade mark" with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
| Your situation | What to register | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You sell in one EU country only | A national trade mark in that country | Your Europe: national protection is enough when you trade in one EU country |
| You sell in several or all EU countries | An EU trade mark with EUIPO | Your Europe: it is the route to protection in all EU countries |
| You sell on Amazon | A mark from the trademark office of a country with an Amazon store, registered or pending | Amazon's condition for Brand Registry |
| You start in one country and plan to expand | A national mark now, or an EU trade mark from the start | Compare EUIPO's fee with the national fees for the countries you plan |
EUIPO sets the EU trade mark fee; check the current amount on EUIPO's own website before you compare. The national fees follow below.
What does a national trade mark cost in Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden?
For one class of goods or services: EUR 90 in Latvia, EUR 145 in Estonia, EUR 250 in Finland and SEK 2,700 in Sweden by e-service. Each further class costs extra. The Finnish Patent and Registration Office puts it in one sentence: "The basic application fee for a Finnish trademark is 250 euros (in 2026)."
| Country | Office | First class | Each additional class | Fee page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia | Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia | EUR 90 | EUR 30 | Fees under Regulations No. 1-4.1/26 of 30.03.2026 |
| Estonia | Estonian Patent Office | EUR 145 | EUR 45 | Fee table updated 02.12.2025 |
| Finland | Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) | EUR 250 (2026) | EUR 100 | Quick guide updated 01.01.2026 |
| Sweden | Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV) | SEK 2,700 by e-service; SEK 3,900 on paper | SEK 1,000 on a PRV page edited 2021-11-03; not listed in PRV's 2025 fee notice | Fees and payment; 2025 fee changes |
The Latvian office charges a "fee for each additional class of goods and services (one class excluded) in an application for a trade mark". A brand that covers different kinds of product may need more than one class, so ask the office which classes your products fall in. Lithuania's official fee is not listed here, because its office's page could not be checked.
Does my trade mark on the label change my legal role?
For cosmetics, yes. Under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Article 4(6), "the distributor shall be the responsible person where he places a cosmetic product on the market under his name or trade mark". The responsible person must have the safety assessment done before sale (Article 10) and notify the product to the Commission (Article 13).
The rule speaks of a name or trade mark; it does not say the mark must be registered. For other product groups, see is my brand the manufacturer.
Should the trade mark be registered in my name or the manufacturer's?
In the name of the company that owns the brand. If anyone else holds the registration, your use of the mark rests on an assignment or a licence. The EU IP Helpdesk explains the difference: an assignment is "generally understood as a permanent transfer of ownership", while a licence "is usually comparable to a rental".
Manufacturers that make for other brands expect your mark on the product. Fitonordic Lab, based in Estonia, writes that "we develop, manufacture and package cosmetic products under the client’s trademark". If you license your mark to a partner, the ICC publishes a Model International Trademark License Contract (2024, publication 841E).
With a product the manufacturer already makes, other brands may sell the same product, so your trade mark is what tells yours apart; see private label, white label or contract manufacturing.
Questions and answers
Can I join Amazon Brand Registry with a trademark application that is still pending?
Yes. Amazon's Brand Registry FAQ accepts "an active, registered trademark or a pending trademark application", as long as it comes from the government trademark office of a country with a corresponding Amazon store. You select one office during enrolment and can add other countries after approval, so you do not have to wait for registration to enrol.
Which trademark offices does Amazon accept for Brand Registry?
Amazon's public page says the trade mark must be issued by the designated government trademark office of a country with a corresponding Amazon store. It does not name the offices one by one; the list sits behind the seller login. During enrolment you pick one office, and you can add more countries once the brand is approved.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Latvia?
EUR 90 to file an application for one class, and EUR 30 for each additional class of goods and services, according to the Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia. The fees follow Regulations No. 1-4.1/26 of 30 March 2026; the office updated the page on 20 April 2026. A Latvian mark protects the name in Latvia only.
What does a Finnish trademark cost in 2026?
The basic application fee is EUR 250 in 2026 for one class, and each extra class costs EUR 100, according to the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). Its quick guide for applicants was updated on 1 January 2026. A Finnish registration protects the mark in Finland; for all EU countries, the route is an EU trade mark.
How much is a trademark application in Estonia?
The state fee for filing an application for one class in Estonia is EUR 145, with a supplementary fee of EUR 45 for each additional class, according to the Estonian Patent Office, whose fee table was last updated on 2 December 2025. The page mentions no discount for filing online.
What does a Swedish trademark application cost?
SEK 2,700 for one class through PRV's e-service, or SEK 3,900 on paper, according to the Swedish Intellectual Property Office; its 2025 fee notice gives the same one-class amounts. PRV's fee page, last edited on 3 November 2021, gives SEK 1,000 for each additional class, a figure the 2025 notice does not repeat.
Do I need an EU trade mark if I only sell in one country?
Not according to the Commission. Its Your Europe page says a business that trades in only one EU country will only need protection there: "In this case, you can register a trade mark at national level." An EU trade mark, filed with EUIPO, is the route when you need protection in all EU countries.
I have no trademark yet: how do I get into Amazon Brand Registry?
You cannot enrol in Brand Registry, which needs a pending or registered trade mark. Amazon points brands without one to its IP Accelerator, which connects them with vetted legal service providers. Because Brand Registry accepts a pending application, filing one with the trademark office of a country that has an Amazon store is the step that opens enrolment.
Will a European manufacturer make products under my own trademark?
That is what private label means. On NordSourced, 249 of the 443 listed manufacturers name private label among their services, each listed because its own website says it makes for other brands (data of 2026-10-14). Fitonordic Lab, based in Estonia, writes: "We develop, manufacture and package cosmetic products under the client’s trademark". The mark stays yours if it is registered in your name.
Who is legally responsible for a cosmetic sold under my trade mark?
The responsible person under the EU Cosmetics Regulation. Article 4(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 gives that role to a distributor that places a cosmetic on the market under its own name or trade mark. The responsible person has the safety assessment done before sale and notifies the product in the Cosmetic Products Notification Portal, whoever manufactures it.
What is the difference between assigning and licensing a trade mark?
An assignment transfers ownership for good: the EU IP Helpdesk calls it "generally understood as a permanent transfer of ownership". A licence lets someone use the mark while you keep it, "usually comparable to a rental", in the Helpdesk's words. The ICC sells a Model International Trademark License Contract (2024, publication 841E) for licences.
Does a registered trade mark protect my formula?
No. A trade mark protects your brand name or logo, which is what Amazon asks you to register. A formula is protected by keeping it confidential: a non-disclosure agreement before you send it, and ownership written into the manufacturing agreement. See whether you need an NDA and what the agreement should contain.
Where to go next
Sources
- Amazon Brand Registry, Amazon. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Trade marks, European Commission, Your Europe. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Fees for legal protection of trademarks, Patent Office of the Republic of Latvia. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Trade mark fees, Estonian Patent Office. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Quick guide for trademark applicants, Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Trademarks: fees and payment, Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Fee changes on 15 March 2025, Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Articles 4, 10 and 13, European Parliament and Council, hosted by the European Commission (DG SANTE). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Your Guide to IP and Contracts (15 December 2020), European IP Helpdesk (EISMEA). Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- ICC model contracts (list with editions and publication numbers), International Chamber of Commerce, ICC Digital Library. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
Directory figures are counted from the manufacturers listed on NordSourced, each listed because its own website says it makes products for other brands; see how we check. This page is general information, not legal advice. Found a mistake? Tell us.