As companies in the European Union expand their operations across borders, one trend is clear: their presence in Arab and Asian markets is consistently growing. These culturally and linguistically diverse markets present increasingly relevant opportunities for trademarks looking to grow globally — but also specific challenges that cannot be ignored.
In 2024, exports from the European Union, namely to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar) exceeded 93 billion euros, highlighting the growing importance of the region. In the Asian market, EU exports to Asia reached 52.7 billion euros, maintaining a continuous growth trajectory. These data reflect not only the economic relevance of these regions, but also the increased exposure of European trademarks to linguistic and cultural systems that use non-Latin alphabets.
In this context, the registration of the transliteration of the trademark plays a crucial role in guaranteeing trademark holders success and legal certainty in these territories.
According to recent data, in the last two months, 8% of applications for registration in Arab countries were submitted in local characters, while only 4% were submitted exclusively in Latin alphabet. This demonstrates a growing preference for trademarks adapted to local writing systems. In countries such as Saudi Arabia and Syria, this trend is even more pronounced, with most applications made using transliterations — a clear sign that, in these markets, adapting the trademark to the linguistic context is more than an advantage: it is a market requirement. These data reinforce the growing urgency of action in this area.
In view of this trend, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has taken the initiative to draw up a map (represented below) indicating all characters and alphabets in the world to help identify jurisdictions where the lack of registration in local characters represents greater vulnerability, underlining the importance of this theme:
WIPO also points out that although the Madrid System is based on the Latin alphabet, it recognizes the growing need to reflect the linguistic diversity of its members, encouraging the presentation of transliterated trademarks to adapt to export markets with different alphabets.
What transliteration consists of
Having said that, it is important to realize that transliteration consists of the phonetic adaptation of the trademark to the local script, preserving its original pronunciation, but using the alphabet of the destination country. For example, a European Union trademark entering the Chinese market can — and should — adopt a version in Chinese characters that sounds similar to the original name. The goal is not to translate the meaning, but rather to ensure that the trademark is recognized, pronounced correctly and understood in the local linguistic and cultural context. It is, therefore, a phonetic process.
For example, the trademark Lacoste is transliterated in Chinese as 拉科斯特 (Lākēsītè), trying to preserve the sound of the original trademark in French. In Arab markets, the trademark Pepsi is transliterated as بيبسي (Bībsi), retaining the pronunciation of the original name but using the Arabic alphabet, which makes it readable and pronounceable by local consumers.
Important: the legal protection of transliteration is not automatic and in most countries it is necessary to file an application for autonomous registration with local authorities to ensure this additional protection. Protection from transliteration is not mandatory, but is increasingly recommended especially in view of the increasing counterfeiting in these jurisdictions.
The non-recognition of this need has led to losses of exclusivity, costly litigation and operational difficulties, as shown by the real cases identified below.
Why is protection important? Contextualization with real cases
The omission of transliteration protection has made room in particular for the following risks:
Imitation by competitors
One of the most emblematic cases is that of Nike in China. When the American company started operating in the country, it initially focused only on protecting the “Nike” trademark in Latin characters. During this period, the most common phonetic equivalent in Chinese — 耐克 (Nài kè) — was not protected, which opened a window of opportunity that was taken advantage of by local competitors, who registered names with similar pronunciation and exploited the absence of formal protection.
Disconnection with the local consumer
Coca-Cola represents the opposite example: a strategic and culturally sensitive approach. Upon entering the Chinese market, the company developed a transliteration with positive meaning: 可口可乐 (Kěkěu Kělè), translated as “delicious and happy”. This choice helped build a stronger bond with consumers from the start.
Legal requirements and operational vulnerabilities
1. The Hermès case also holds important lessons. The French luxury trademark for years ignored the registration of the transliteration in Chinese — 爱马仕 (Ài mế shì), and a Chinese merchant registered the name. When Hermès attempted to recover the trademark, the Chinese courts refused the application, claiming that there was insufficient evidence of prior recognition of the mark in Chinese at the time of the original registration..
2. German sportswear trademark Adidas also faced difficulties in protecting its transliteration in Arab countries, where similar phonetic versions were registered by third parties. For example, in Arabic, the transliteration of Adidas can be أديداس (Adīdās). The lack of initial registration opened space for local competitors to exploit similar trademarks, which led to litigation to preserve the exclusivity of the trademark.
3. French luxury trademark Louis Vuitton also had challenges related to Arabic transliteration لويس فويتون (Luwīs Fūytūn). In some Arab countries, these names have been registered in close phonetic spellings, making it difficult to defend the original trademark and causing confusion among consumers.
4. In the Arab world, McDonald’s is transliterated as ماكدونالدز (Mākdūnāldz). Despite being a globally recognized trademark, the initial lack of registration of transliteration in some Arab markets allowed competitors to register close versions phonetically, creating legal challenges to protect the trademark.
Benefits of registering the transliteration
– Enhanced legal protection: Protecting the trademark in local characters allows to prevent and react effectively against misuse by third parties, including phonetically similar versions, thus preserving the identity and uniqueness of the trademark.
– Greater notoriety and local impact: Registering in local characters makes the trademark more accessible, memorable and closer to the local consumer, fostering a stronger connection with the target audience and increasing awareness..
– Competitive advantage with cultural sensitivity: The transliteration of the trademark demonstrates sensitivity and adaptation to the local cultural context, contributing positively to the perception and appreciation of the trademark in the market.
– Compliance with legal regulations in critical markets: In many countries, especially in the consumer, retail and pharmaceutical sectors, local authorities require the use or registration of the trademark in native characters, making this protection not only strategic but also necessary from a regulatory point of view.
What do we recommend?
- Assess the markets where your trademark operates or intends to operate and check if they use non-Latin alphabets.
- Define the best transliteration with support from linguists, local experts and IP consultants.
- Include transliteration in your global branding strategy..
In summary
Protecting the transliteration of the trademark means guaranteeing its global identity with local roots. It’s a decision that strengthens international presence, mitigates legal risks and brings the trademark closer to consumers..
Don’t let your trademark get lost or limited in translation. Protect transliteration. Talk to us!
