Valve Software has, on September 29, 2013, filed for registration of a CTM trademark for Half Life 3 in the European Union. Under EU law, one must have a genuine intent to use a trademark in the future in order to obtain and maintain a CTM trademark registration.

Under Article 15 of the Community Trademark Regulation, one must “put the Community trademark to genuine use in the Community in connection with the goods or services in respect of which it is registered” in order to acquire CTM protection. The current Article 15(1) states that the trademark must be used in commerce within five (5) years. Consequently, Valve’s filing indicates that Half Life 3 is actually on its way and will be making its appearance within the European Union within the next five years.

If you seek trademark registration in the European Union, contact our CTM trademark experts today.