Trademark registration, copyright, patents, trade secrets and IP litigation.
Filter by specialisation
EU trademark registration (EUTM) covers all 27 EU member states in a single filing. For non-EU countries, separate national registrations or Madrid Protocol filings are needed.
EU trademarks typically take 4–6 months if unopposed. A lawyer can handle the filing, respond to office actions and monitor for infringement.
Browse our verified directory of law firms across Poland's major cities. All listed firms offer English-language legal services to expats and foreign nationals.
Find My Lawyer in 60 SecondsIntellectual property in Poland is governed by: Prawo własności przemysłowej (PWP) (Industrial Property Law, Dz.U. 2001 Nr 49 poz. 508, consolidated 2024) for patents, trade marks and designs; and Ustawa o prawie autorskim i prawach pokrewnych (Copyright Act, Dz.U. 1994 Nr 24 poz. 83, consolidated 2024) for copyright and related rights. The administrative authority for registration is the Urząd Patentowy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (UPRP) (Patent Office of the Republic of Poland).
| Right | Application Fee | Registration/Grant Fee | Duration | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Znak towarowy (trade mark) — 1 class | 550 PLN | Included | 10 years | 400 PLN/class per 10yr (online); 450 PLN paper |
| Znak towarowy — each additional class | 120 PLN | — | 10 years | — |
| Patent | 550 PLN (application) + 200 PLN (examination request) | Included | 20 years | Annual fees year 3–20: 250–3,200 PLN |
| Wzór przemysłowy (industrial design) | 300 PLN | Included | 5 years | 700 PLN per 5yr renewal (max 25 years) |
| Wzór użytkowy (utility model) | 500 PLN | Included | 10 years (non-renewable) | Annual fees year 3–10 |
| EUIPO (EU trade mark) | €850 (1 class) | Included | 10 years | €850/class per 10yr |
| Copyright | Free (automatic on creation) | — | Life + 70 years | Not applicable |
Copyright arises automatically on creation with no registration required (Ustawa PA art. 1). Moral rights (autorskie prawa osobiste) — including attribution and integrity — are inalienable and perpetual (PA art. 16). Economic rights (autorskie prawa majątkowe) transfer by contract but must specify the fields of exploitation (pola eksploatacji — PA art. 41 ust. 2); unexplained fields of exploitation are not transferred. Software: treated as literary works (PA art. 74); special provisions for employee-created software (rights go to employer for works created during employment — PA art. 74 ust. 3). ZAIKS (music), KOPIPOL (reprography), ZAiKS: Polish collecting societies managing rights.
Civil enforcement: sąd cywilny (Sąd Okręgowy for IP matters of higher value — KPC art. 17 pkt 1). Remedies: zabezpieczenie (interim injunction); opis (description of infringing goods); zakaz (final injunction); odszkodowanie (damages) or wydanie bezpodstawnie uzyskanych korzyści (account of profits). Criminal enforcement: PWP art. 305 (intentional TM infringement: fine or up to 2 years imprisonment); PA art. 116 (copyright infringement: fine or up to 2 years; 3 years for commercial scale; 5 years with aggravation).
A Gdańsk software house discovered its open-source library (MIT-licensed) was being used by a Warsaw competitor in a commercial product without attribution, and with modification of the license file to remove the MIT header. Claim: (1) violation of moral right of attribution (PA art. 16 pkt 5); (2) removal of copyright management information (CMI) — PA art. 79 ust. 1 pkt 3. Interim injunction (zabezpieczenie) obtained from Sąd Okręgowy in Warsaw (IP division). Settlement before trial: competitor paid 85,000 PLN damages, published formal attribution, released the modified library under the original MIT license. Legal costs: 18,000 PLN (adwokat) + court fees 5,000 PLN.
