Intellectual Property · Malta
Find an intellectual property lawyer in Malta who understands your rights
Copying, counterfeiting, a broken licence or a name that a competitor keeps using — these problems rarely shrink on their own. Tell us what has happened and we introduce you to a warranted Maltese advocate whose practice covers intellectual property work. No cost, no obligation to instruct.
- Advocates warranted in Malta
- Trade mark, copyright, design and licensing matters
- Free, no-obligation matching
You describe the situation; we do the searching. You choose whether to instruct.
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Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
How matching works
Matched with the right intellectual property specialist for Malta
Intellectual property problems rarely arrive at a convenient moment. A competitor copies your brand, a former partner keeps trading under your name, a licensee stops paying royalties, or an online marketplace fills up with lookalike listings. Maltese businesses also trade heavily across the European Union, so a single dispute can touch several countries at once. Because Malta is a mixed jurisdiction, how a claim is framed matters: private law follows the continental tradition of the Civil Code, while commercial and procedural matters carry strong English common-law influence, and there is no doctrine of binding precedent. An intellectual property lawyer in Malta can assess what you actually hold, the evidence behind it and the realistic options before you commit to proceedings. Tell us about your matter and we match you, free of charge, with a Maltese advocate suited to it.
Malta in practice
How intellectual property matters work in the Maltese legal system
Malta is one of the world’s recognised mixed jurisdictions, and that shapes how a rights dispute is prepared and argued. Two official languages, a unified legal profession and statutory fee tariffs all affect what your case looks like in practice.
Who may represent you
Malta has a single, unified legal profession: ‘lawyer’ and ‘advocate’ are interchangeable terms, with no barrister and solicitor split. An advocate holds a warrant issued by the President of the Republic and takes an oath before the Court of Appeal; the profession is regulated by the Commission for the Administration of Justice, with the Chamber of Advocates as its recognised consultative body. A separate legal procurator handles service and filings.
Which court hears your claim
Civil claims are allocated by value. The Small Claims Tribunal hears monetary claims up to EUR 5,000; the Court of Magistrates hears claims between EUR 5,000 and EUR 15,000; the Civil Court, in its superior jurisdiction, hears claims above EUR 15,000 or of unquantifiable value. Appeals go to the Court of Appeal. Malta has no doctrine of binding precedent, so each case stands on its own facts.
Language of proceedings and documents
Maltese and English are both official languages, and legislation is enacted in both, with the Maltese text prevailing in case of conflict under article 74 of the Constitution. Maltese has been the language of the courts and of notarial deeds since 1934, while legal education at the University of Malta is delivered in English. Court rulings are drafted in Maltese, though English is widely used in commercial practice.
Costs, fee rules and legal aid
Advocates’ and legal procurators’ fees are governed by statutory tariffs in the schedules to the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure, which also guide the costs awarded against a losing party; contingency-fee and other conditional-fee arrangements are prohibited. Malta levies court registry fees rather than a general court tax. Civil legal aid applies both a means test and a merits test, and is administered by Legal Aid Malta.
Why timing and framing decide a lot
Malta’s private law follows the continental tradition of the Civil Code of 1868, while commercial, procedural and administrative law carry strong English common-law influence, and EU membership since 2004 adds a further layer. Limitation periods differ according to how a claim is framed — general actions, damages claims, commercial claims and others each carry their own — so timing is one of the first things a specialist will examine with you.
The country information on this page is drawn from official Maltese and European Union sources — the European e-Justice Portal, the Malta Judiciary, the Laws of Malta and Legal Aid Malta — consulted in 2025.
Common situations
When people come to us for intellectual property help in Malta
Most enquiries start with a concrete commercial problem rather than with a legal question. These are the situations we see most often.
Your brand is being copied
Lookalike products, confusingly similar names and hijacked listings erode the value you have built. A specialist can establish what protection you actually hold and whether the conduct you are seeing can be challenged.
A licence or partnership has broken down
Royalties stop, a former collaborator keeps trading under the name, or a distribution agreement ends badly. These disputes mix contract, commercial practice and rights in the mark itself, so they need someone who works with both.
You are handling it yourself, and time is passing
Cease-and-desist letters, platform complaint forms and internal correspondence consume weeks. Limitation periods vary with how a claim is framed, so delay can quietly narrow what remains available to you.
Why use the platform
What you get when we match you
We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. We identify the advocates whose practice fits your matter and put you in touch.
Specialists, not generalists
We match you with advocates whose practice covers intellectual property rights rather than litigators taking a single matter on the side. The introduction reflects the type of rights dispute you describe.
Set up for cross-border work
Malta is a mixed civil-law and common-law jurisdiction and a member of the European Union, and many Maltese practices act for foreign rights holders and their counsel abroad. Your advisers can work in parallel.
Transparent about fees
Advocates’ and legal procurators’ fees follow the statutory tariffs in the schedules to the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure, and contingency fees are prohibited. You will understand how a fee is built before instructing anyone.
Free to use, no pressure
Describing your situation and receiving an introduction costs nothing. There is no obligation to instruct the advocate you are matched with, and you may ask us to look again if the fit is not right.
Across Europe
We also match clients in other European countries
Rights travel across borders, and so do disputes. Alongside Malta, we receive and match enquiries in these jurisdictions:
Frequently asked
Questions about intellectual property lawyers in Malta
What can an intellectual property lawyer in Malta help me with?
A Maltese advocate can advise on trade marks, copyright, designs, patents and licensing, assess the strength of your position, correspond with the other side and represent you before the Maltese courts where a dispute cannot be settled. We match you with an advocate whose practice regularly covers the type of matter you describe.
Which Maltese court would hear my case?
Allocation depends on value. The Small Claims Tribunal handles monetary claims up to EUR 5,000; the Court of Magistrates hears claims between EUR 5,000 and EUR 15,000; the Civil Court in its superior jurisdiction hears claims above EUR 15,000 or of unquantifiable value. Appeals from the Civil Court go to the Court of Appeal.
Do I need an advocate who speaks Maltese?
Proceedings and judgments are in Maltese, which has been the language of the courts since 1934, although English is widely used in commercial practice and legal education is delivered in English. Advocates must have full knowledge of Maltese to obtain their warrant, so language is rarely an obstacle for international clients.
How are legal fees set in Malta, and can I get legal aid?
Advocates’ and legal procurators’ fees follow the statutory tariffs in the schedules to the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure, and those tariffs also guide the costs awarded against a losing party. Contingency and conditional fees are prohibited. Civil legal aid through Legal Aid Malta applies a means test and a merits test.
My dispute crosses borders — can a Maltese advocate still act?
Malta is a mixed jurisdiction and a member of the European Union since 2004, so cross-border instructions are part of normal practice for Maltese advocates. Where a matter touches more than one country, we can also look for counsel in the other jurisdiction so that your strategy holds together.
How does your matching service work, and what does it cost?
You describe your situation in a short form. We review it and introduce you to a Maltese advocate whose practice covers your type of intellectual property matter, usually within 24 to 48 hours. The service is free for you, and you are never obliged to instruct the advocate you are introduced to.
Next step
Tell us about your intellectual property matter in Malta
Copying, a broken licence or an unclear scope of rights is easier to deal with once someone qualified has looked at the facts. Send us a short description of what has happened, what you own and what you would like to achieve, and we will match you with a Maltese advocate whose practice covers it. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.