Trademark Protection in DACH: Why There Is No DACH Mark

If you sell in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, one wish is obvious: a single "DACH trademark" that covers all three countries in one go. It does not exist. Trademark protection is territorial, and the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) splits across three separate offices: the DPMA in Germany, the Austrian Patent Office, and the IGE in Switzerland. A German trademark does not automatically apply in Switzerland. The EU trademark (EUTM) at the EUIPO does cover Germany and Austria in one filing, according to EUIPO (2026), but not Switzerland, because Switzerland is not an EU member. This overview shows how to realistically secure DACH, which combinations make sense, and what they cost. This is general orientation, not legal advice.

Key Takeaways

• A single DACH trademark does not exist. Trademark protection is territorial and runs through three separate offices: the DPMA, the Austrian Patent Office and the IGE.
• According to EUIPO (2026), the EU trademark covers all 27 EU states, meaning Germany and Austria, but not Switzerland.
• For Switzerland you need your own trademark at the IGE, from CHF 450 for up to three classes (IGE, 2024).
• Realistic for DACH: an EU trademark (Germany plus Austria) plus a Swiss trademark, or the Madrid System as a bundle.
• Protection lasts 10 years everywhere and renews for further 10-year terms as often as you like (Section 47 MarkenG).

Before you commit to one route, it pays to look at all three countries side by side. For the EU part, meaning Germany and Austria, the overview of the EUIPO trademark search helps you get started.

Is there a single DACH trademark?

No. A single DACH protection title does not exist. Trademark protection is territorial, and DACH consists of three sovereign countries with three separate offices: the DPMA, the Austrian Patent Office and the IGE. A trademark registered in Germany applies only in Germany according to the DPMA (2026) and does not automatically take effect in Austria or Switzerland.

The principle of territoriality is the decisive point here. A trademark protects you only where it is registered. Anyone selling in Berlin, Vienna and Zurich often thinks in terms of one economic zone, but legally these are three separate territories. "DACH" is a market and a language region, not a shared trademark law. What matters for protection is not what you call your target market, but which country your trademark is registered in.

There is no single DACH protection title. According to the DPMA (2026), trademark protection is territorial and splits across three separate offices: the DPMA in Germany, the Austrian Patent Office and the IGE in Switzerland. A German trademark applies in Germany alone. Anyone who wants to cover all three countries needs more than a single national filing.

For the first step you can research your trademark at any time before you settle on a filing route. That way you see early whether your preferred name even looks available.

Three countries, three separate trademark offices

DACH is administered by three national offices, and each one grants protection only for its own territory. According to the DPMA (2026), the DPMA is responsible for Germany, the Austrian Patent Office for Austria, and the IGE, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, for Switzerland. Three offices, three registers, three separate jurisdictions.

For you as a founder, this means you have a separate construction site in each country. If you want protection in all three, there is no single counter. Germany and Austria can be covered together through the EU trademark, because both are EU members. Switzerland cannot. This is exactly where the blind spot appears that many people notice only late: the EU route ends at the Swiss border. For when the national DPMA mark makes more sense than the EU trademark for Germany, weigh the two in EUIPO vs DPMA.

"DACH" describes your market, not your trademark law. Protection follows national borders, not language regions.

Three offices govern trademark protection in DACH: the DPMA for Germany, the Austrian Patent Office for Austria, and the IGE for Switzerland (DPMA, 2026). Each office protects its own country only. Germany and Austria can be bundled through the EU trademark; Switzerland never can, because it lies outside the EU and keeps its own register.

Does the EU trademark cover Switzerland?

No. According to EUIPO (2026), the EU trademark at the EUIPO has uniform effect across all 27 EU member states and therefore covers Germany and Austria in a single filing. Switzerland is not an EU member and is left out. So the protection of the EU trademark ends precisely at the Swiss border.

This is the most important practical point for DACH. The EU trademark is a powerful tool, because one filing covers two of the three DACH countries. But its biggest DACH drawback has a name: Switzerland. Anyone who believes that an EU trademark automatically gives them "all of DACH" is mistaken. Two of three countries are in, the third is completely missing and has to be secured separately.

According to EUIPO (2026), the EU trademark has uniform effect across all 27 EU member states. It therefore covers Germany and Austria in one filing, but not Switzerland, which is not an EU member. For the DACH market this means the EU trademark handles two of the three countries, while the third, Switzerland, remains a task of its own.

For how an EU-wide search for an EU trademark works in principle, and what to watch for with Germany and Austria, see the overview of the EUIPO trademark search.

How do you protect your trademark in Switzerland?

For Switzerland you file your trademark directly at the IGE, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. The base fee is CHF 450 for up to three classes according to the IGE (2024), with CHF 100 per class from the fourth class onward. This trademark then applies in Switzerland only.

Because the EU trademark does not reach Switzerland, the Swiss trademark is the direct route. You have two options. Either you file nationally at the IGE, or you designate Switzerland as a target country through the Madrid System. If you only have Germany, Austria and Switzerland in view anyway, the combination of an EU trademark plus a national Swiss trademark is often the fastest way to your goal.

You file the Swiss trademark at the IGE and pay CHF 450 for up to three classes according to the IGE (2024), with CHF 100 per additional class from the fourth class onward. It protects you in Switzerland alone. Since the EU trademark does not cover Switzerland, this separate filing is the practical standard route for the Swiss part of your DACH market.

Protection here follows the same logic as in Germany and Austria: it lasts 10 years initially and renews for further 10-year terms as often as you like.

What is the Madrid System (WIPO)?

The Madrid System (WIPO) is an international registration in which you designate individual countries. According to WIPO (2025) it has 116 members covering 132 countries. The EU, Austria and Switzerland are all members. You submit one filing and select the target territories within it, instead of filing separately at each office.

For DACH, the Madrid System works as a bundle. You designate, for example, the EU, which covers Germany and Austria, plus Switzerland as an individual country. That way you manage your international protection from a single source, instead of running parallel proceedings at several offices. Especially if you want to expand beyond DACH into further countries, the Madrid System noticeably cuts your administrative effort.

The Madrid System (WIPO) enables an international registration in which you designate countries individually. According to WIPO (2025) it covers 116 members across 132 countries, including the EU, Austria and Switzerland. For DACH you designate the EU (for Germany and Austria) and Switzerland, steering several territories through a single registration.

What does trademark protection cost in DE, AT and Switzerland?

The base fees differ by country and office. According to the DPMA (2026), the DPMA charges 290 euros electronically including up to three classes. The Austrian Patent Office charges around 284 euros for up to three classes (Austrian Patent Office, 2026). At the IGE, the Swiss trademark costs CHF 450 for up to three classes (IGE, 2024).

Route	Office	Base fee	Coverage
EU trademark	EUIPO	850 euros (1 class; +50 euros 2nd class, +150 euros from 3rd)	Germany + Austria (all 27 EU states)
National mark	DPMA	290 euros (up to 3 classes)	Germany only
National mark	Austrian Patent Office	around 284 euros (up to 3 classes)	Austria only
National mark	IGE	CHF 450 (up to 3 classes)	Switzerland only

Fees according to EUIPO (2026), DPMA (2026), the Austrian Patent Office (2026) and the IGE (2024). Switzerland appears in no EU row, because it is not an EU member.

For the EU route, the EU trademark is what counts. Its base fee is 850 euros electronically for one class according to EUIPO (2026), 50 euros for the second class and 150 euros from the third class onward. With it you cover Germany and Austria together. So for a complete DACH package, add up the EU trademark plus the Swiss fee, instead of totaling three national filings individually.

Watch the follow-up costs: protection lasts 10 years everywhere and renews as often as you like. At the DPMA, the renewal costs 750 euros per ten-year period according to the DPMA (2026). What an upfront search costs and delivers is covered under cost of a trademark search.

A DACH package is made up of several fees. According to EUIPO (2026), the EU trademark costs 850 euros for one class and covers Germany and Austria. For Switzerland, add CHF 450 for up to three classes according to the IGE (2024). On a purely national basis, the German trademark costs 290 euros (DPMA, 2026) and the Austrian one around 284 euros (Austrian Patent Office, 2026).

How to combine protection for the DACH market

There is no single filing for complete DACH protection, but two combinations that make sense. Option one: the EU trademark, which covers Germany and Austria according to EUIPO (2026), plus a separate Swiss trademark at the IGE. Option two: the Madrid System, in which you designate the EU and Switzerland together. Both routes reach the goal, and neither is a "DACH trademark."

Which option fits depends on your radius. If you really only want Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the EU trademark plus an IGE trademark is often the most direct route. If you also plan further countries or expect more markets over the years, the Madrid System plays to its strength, because you manage everything through one registration. What stays important in every case: Switzerland is always its own building block, never included in the EU part.

For DACH there are two realistic combinations: an EU trademark plus a separate Swiss trademark, or the Madrid System as a bundle. According to EUIPO (2026), the EU trademark covers Germany and Austria; Switzerland is added through the IGE or as a designated country in the Madrid System. A single DACH trademark that protects all three countries in one title does not exist.

Whichever route you choose, the first step is always to find similar trademarks before you file. To do that you can research your trademark and spot older signs early.

Conclusion: DACH means three countries, not one trademark

The most important insight first: a single DACH trademark does not exist. Trademark protection is territorial and runs through three separate offices, the DPMA, the Austrian Patent Office and the IGE. According to EUIPO (2026), the EU trademark covers Germany and Austria in one filing, but never Switzerland, because it is not an EU member. For complete DACH protection you therefore need a combination: either the EU trademark plus a separate Swiss trademark at the IGE (from CHF 450 according to the IGE, 2024), or the Madrid System, in which you designate the EU and Switzerland together. Protection lasts 10 years everywhere and renews as often as you like (Section 47 MarkenG). All of this is general orientation, not legal advice; when in doubt, have a lawyer check your case. The first step stays the same in every country: research your trademark before you file.