--- title: "Trademark Watch & Opposition | Pitch" description: "We watch the registers for new marks that conflict with yours, tell you which ones matter, and oppose within the deadline when you instruct us to." url: https://www.pitch.law/solutions/trademark-watch-opposition-monitoring --- [pitch](https://www.pitch.law/) [Solutions](https://www.pitch.law/solutions) [Intellectual Property](https://www.pitch.law/solution-categories/intellectual-property) # Trademark Watch & Opposition We watch the registers for new marks that conflict with yours, tell you which ones matter, and oppose within the deadline when you instruct us to. - By By Bart Lieben, Attorney-at-Law - Published 26 February 2026 - 360 stage: Enforce ## The question A registered mark is only as strong as your willingness to defend it. Competitors, new market entrants and unrelated businesses keep filing applications, and some of them will be too close to yours. If nobody notices, a conflicting mark can be published, registered and used for years beside yours, and your position weakens with each year. Opposition is the cheap and fast moment to act, but the window is short: three months from publication at the EUIPO and two months at the BOIP, and the BOIP period cannot be extended. After that you are left with cancellation proceedings, which are slower, costlier and less predictable. The question is therefore how to know in time, and how to decide which applications deserve a reaction. [What a trademark watch is](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) is explained in the Knowledge Base. Clients come to us in different situations: right after a registration, when they want to protect what they have just paid for; after a first unpleasant discovery of a lookalike on the market; before a funding round or sale, when an investor asks how the portfolio is guarded; or when a mark has become valuable enough that nobody wants to rely on chance any more. ## Our approach We set up the watch around your marks, the territories that matter to you and the classes of goods and services you trade in. [Our watch technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/online-brand-protection) runs on a schedule: trademarks through TMview, designs through DesignView. Each run is compared with the previous one, so you only see what is new. Not every new application is a threat. A rule-based playbook sorts hits by how close they are and how much they overlap with your goods and services, and routes each hit to a likely action, for instance a draft opposition for a close match in your core class. The assessment follows the usual criteria of [similarity between marks](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity): the signs compared visually, phonetically and conceptually, the closeness of the goods and services, and the distinctiveness of your earlier mark. An attorney reviews the hits before they reach you. You then see them in the client portal and instruct us to oppose, investigate further or dismiss. The factors behind that decision, including proof of use, the strength of the earlier mark and the option of a negotiated outcome, are set out in [when to oppose a trademark](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark). If you decide to oppose, we prepare and file the opposition and follow the proceedings. Oppositions, cancellation and revocation actions are tracked with their deadlines, and the coexistence agreements we conclude are recorded alongside. Dates sit in the same docket as your renewals, handled by our [portfolio and deadline technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals). ## What you get A watch set up for your portfolio, with regular reports and a recommended action for each relevant hit. A clear record of what you decided and why. Where you instruct us to act, a prepared opposition filed within the time limit, or a first approach to the other party, whichever fits your commercial interest better. Many conflicts end in a coexistence agreement or a narrowed specification rather than a decision from the Office. Some limits are worth knowing. A watch finds what is published; it cannot find unpublished applications or unregistered use. And an opposition is not always the right answer: it can be disproportionate against a distant mark, and an unsuccessful one costs money. Our recommendation takes that into account. A short example. A Kortrijk manufacturer of garden furniture has an EU trade mark. A run of the watch shows an EU application for a near-identical name for outdoor lighting, published a few days earlier. The attorney reviews it, the playbook has already marked it as a close match in a related class, and the client sees it in the portal the same week. The client instructs us to approach the applicant first. If that fails, the draft opposition is ready and the deadline is in the docket. The client decides each step on a documented recommendation, and the deadline is never at risk because nobody saw the filing. ## Next step Send us your marks, or ask for a portfolio overview, and tell us which markets matter most. We will propose a watch scope and the criteria for the playbook. [Schedule a meeting](https://www.pitch.law/schedule) or [contact us](https://www.pitch.law/contact-us). ## In short - Scheduled watches on trademarks and designs - New hits compared with the previous run - Each hit routed to a recommended action - You review and instruct us in the client portal - Oppositions tracked with their deadlines ## Technology we use - [Technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/online-brand-protection) ### [Trademark and Design Watch](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/online-brand-protection) [Scheduled watches of trademark and design registers, with new hits compared against the last run and routed to a recommended action for you to decide on.](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/online-brand-protection) - [Technology](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) ### [IP Portfolio, Renewals and Deadlines](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) [Your trademarks, designs, domain names and patents in one view, with deadlines docketed, renewals batched and every computed date confirmed by a person.](https://www.pitch.law/technologies/portfolio-renewals) ## Background reading - [Academy](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) ### [What Is a Trademark Watch?](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) [A trademark watch tells you when someone files a mark that resembles yours, while opposition is still possible. This article explains why it matters, how it works and what it cannot do.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/trademark-watch-service-explained) - [Academy](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark) ### [When to Oppose a Trademark](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark) [Opposition lets the owner of an earlier right challenge a new trademark application before it is registered. This article explains the conditions, the deadlines and the factors that decide whether to proceed.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/when-to-oppose-a-trademark) - [Academy](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity) ### [Understanding Trademark Similarity](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity) [Whether two marks conflict depends on how similar they are and how close the goods are. This article explains the test and how its elements are weighed.](https://www.pitch.law/academy/understanding-trademark-similarity) ## More in Intellectual Property - ### [Trademark Clearance](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/trademark-clearance) [A structured check of whether a name or logo is free to use and register, ending in an attorney-signed opinion with risk levels and a clear recommendation.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/trademark-clearance) - ### [Brand Monitoring & Online Enforcement](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/effective-online-brand-protection) [We find counterfeit listings, impersonation and lookalike domains across marketplaces, social media and the web, and act on them through the right route.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/effective-online-brand-protection) - ### [Brand Policy Compliance](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/online-brand-compliance) [We help brand owners get distributors, resellers and licensees to follow the brand rules, through the contract, monitoring and a graduated response.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/online-brand-compliance) - ### [Domain Name Disputes](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/domain-name-litigation) [We recover or cancel domain names registered in bad faith, through the UDRP, the URS, the .eu procedure, country-code procedures such as .be, or the courts, and defend clients accused of the same.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/domain-name-litigation) - ### [IP Portfolio Management](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/ip-portfolio-intelligence) [We keep your trademarks, designs, domain names and patents in one overview, follow every deadline and prepare each renewal decision with a cost estimate.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/ip-portfolio-intelligence) - ### [Trademark Registration](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/trademark-registration) [We choose the right route and scope for your mark, file it with the EUIPO, the BOIP or through the Madrid System, and keep it in order afterwards.](https://www.pitch.law/solutions/trademark-registration) ## Let’s talk Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll get the right person on it and reply within one business day. The first chat is free. [Schedule a meeting](https://www.pitch.law/schedule)