Solicitor for Intellectual Property Law in Mosta

I’m working with several freelance developers and designers based in Malta to build various creative and technical assets for my business, logos, software code, written content. I want to make sure I actually own the resulting intellectual property once the work is delivered and paid for, rather than assuming this automatically happens.

I filed a trademark application in Malta and I’ve just been notified that another company has formally opposed my registration, claiming it conflicts with their own existing trademark. I want to understand what this opposition process actually involves and what my options are for responding.

I registered a trademark in Malta a few years ago and I vaguely recall something about needing to renew it periodically, but I’m not entirely sure of the timeline or what would actually happen to my protection if I simply forgot or missed a renewal deadline.

I’ve registered my company name with the Malta Business Registry, and I also have a distinct logo design that I use for branding. I’m wondering whether registering the company name itself gives me any protection over the logo too, or whether these are treated as entirely separate matters requiring separate protection.

I’ve discovered a business in Malta actively using a trademark almost identical to mine, and the ongoing damage to my brand and customer confusion is happening right now while I consider my legal options. I’m worried that waiting for a full court case to conclude will cause serious harm in the meantime. Is there a way to get them to stop urgently while the underlying dispute is resolved?

I’ve developed what I believe is an innovative new business method for how I structure and deliver a particular type of service. I’m wondering whether this kind of business method, rather than a physical invention, is actually something I could protect through a patent in Malta.

Beyond my brand name and logo, I also use a specific catchy slogan consistently across my marketing in Malta, and I’d like to know whether a short phrase like this can actually be registered as a trademark in its own right, separate from my main brand name.

I’ve been using various images I found online labelled as ‘royalty-free’ or ‘free to use’ for marketing materials for my business in Malta, without paying anything or tracking exactly where each image came from. I’m now wondering whether I’ve actually been doing this properly, or whether I could be at risk of a copyright claim.