Inditex – South African trademarks

Updated 8 November 2026

Inditex is a Spanish fashion group and the world's largest clothing retailer. Its brands include Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Stradivarius.

How Inditex has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.

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#208largest trademark owner in South Africa (of 121,626)
296trademarks filed
10different logos published since 2020
28of 45 classes used
1994first trademark filed
52filed in the last 10 years

Inditex trademarks in 45 seconds

Inditex trademarks in 45 seconds

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/inditex-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html

A portfolio built over time

Inditex filed its first South African trademark in 1994 and has filed 296 since; its busiest year was 2007, with 52 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.

Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.

The names behind the portfolio

Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.

NameMarksFiling years
Inditex2921994–2024
Industrial de Diseno Textil42005–2005

Where Inditex expanded its business

Trademark classes show what a business sells. Inditex's portfolio is concentrated in clothing (class 25), leather & bags (class 18), cosmetics & cleaning (class 3). Its most recent moves were into restaurants & hotels (2019), pharmaceuticals (2007), metal goods (2007).

Inditex trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024

Inditex trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/inditex-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html

Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.

ClassMarksShareSince
25 Clothing5317.9%1994
18 Leather & bags3913.2%1994
3 Cosmetics & cleaning3411.5%1994
9 Electronics & software237.8%1994
35 Advertising & retail237.8%1999
14 Jewellery & watches196.4%1994
24 Textiles175.7%1999
28 Toys & sports goods155.1%1999

The brands Inditex protects most

The word marks and logo names Inditex has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.

#BrandTrademarksClassesFiled
1ZARA HOME23232007–2007
2ZARA23181995–2019
3CLEAR TO WEAR14142006–2006
4SAFE TO WEAR14142008–2008
5BSK14102007–2012
6SKHUABAN13132006–2006
7PULL & BEAR13121994–2012
8LEFTIES11101995–2013
9LFT11102011–2013
10ANXERI10101995–2011
11OYSHO10102006–2015
12XDYE10102005–2005
1326 1 18 1992021–2021
14BERSHKA991994–2007
15PB992023–2023

Logos filed most often (since 2020)

Inditex trademark logo
9 filings · 9 classes
Inditex trademark logo
9 filings · 9 classes
Inditex trademark logo
5 filings · 5 classes
Inditex trademark logo
5 filings · 5 classes
Inditex trademark logo
4 filings · 2 classes
Inditex trademark logo
3 filings · 3 classes
Inditex trademark logo
3 filings · 3 classes
Inditex trademark logo
1 filing · 1 class
Inditex trademark logo
1 filing · 1 class
Inditex trademark logo
1 filing · 1 class

Inditex's logos

The 10 different logos Inditex has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.

How quickly its trademarks are registered

Over the last five years, Inditex's marks took a median of 3.6 years from filing to registration, slower than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 2.9 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.

Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.

Who files the most in Inditex's classes

Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Inditex's main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Inditex's market position, not who is most like it.

In the last five years, Inditex was #27 of 2,715 filers in class 25 (clothing), with 11 of 4,647 trademarks; #26 of 758 filers in class 18 (leather & bags), with 7 of 1,383 trademarks; #275 of 1,836 filers in class 3 (cosmetics & cleaning), with 3 of 3,958 trademarks.

Inditex's share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.

Top trademark filers in class 25 (clothing), South Africa 1975–2024: Inditex

Top trademark filers in class 25 (clothing), South Africa 1975–2024: Inditex

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/inditex-south-african-trademarks/class-25-race-video.html

Main competitors – the companies most like Inditex

Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Inditex's – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.

Inditex trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024

Inditex trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024

Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/inditex-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html

Trademark filings per year: Inditex (orange) and its five closest competitors.

#CompanyRelationshipSimilarity
1Dkh Retail–68%
2Walmart–68%
3Moncler–68%
4Retailability–67%
5Truworths–67%
6Nelson Mandela Foundation Trust–67%
7Edcon–67%
8Tornovert–67%
9A and D Spitz–67%
10Franschhoek Wine Valley and Tourist Ass…–66%

Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.

Inditex – relevant export countries

South Africa exported US$1.6 billion of the goods Inditex's main classes cover in the last year – hats; shirts; clothing; jackets (class 25); backpacks; handbags; umbrellas; wallets (class 18); cosmetics; essential oils; perfumes; shampoos (class 3); software; computers; sunglasses; cases (class 9); jewellery; watches; bracelets; necklaces (class 14). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where Inditex's trademarks matter most.

Adjust the weightings

These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.

Worldwide

#MarketScoreSA exportsImport growth / yrRouteCost, 5 classes
1United States of America82US$260 m-1%NationalUS$3,425
2European Union76US$123 m+1%NationalUS$2,388
3United Kingdom69US$41 m-3%NationalUS$1,371
4Japan64US$11 m+2%NationalUS$1,774
5Namibia61US$231 m+8%ARIPOUS$450
6Hong Kong SAR61US$9.8 m+8%NationalUS$1,715
7Canada61US$6.4 m-5%NationalUS$2,192
8Singapore60US$13 m+14%NationalUS$2,144
9United Arab Emirates59US$103 m+5%NationalUS$14,375
10Australia59US$11 m-2%NationalUS$2,380

Africa

#MarketScoreSA exportsImport growth / yrRouteCost, 5 classes
1Namibia61US$231 m+8%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
2Botswana58US$213 m-4%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
3Nigeria52US$3.7 m-14%NationalUS$1,015 S&Z
4Zimbabwe52US$63 m-3%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
5OAPI (17 states)51US$11 m+2%NationalUS$1,563 S&Z
6Tanzania51US$15 m-4%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
7Malawi50US$14 m+18%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
8Mozambique48US$53 m-19%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
9Uganda48US$3.5 m+10%ARIPOUS$450 S&Z
10Dem. Rep. of the Congo44US$26 m-13%NationalUS$2,100

SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.

Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.

Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z

BrandClassesNigeriaOAPI (17 states)
ZARA HOME23US$4,669US$4,887
ZARA18US$3,654US$3,964
CLEAR TO WEAR14US$2,842US$3,225
SAFE TO WEAR14US$2,842US$3,225
BSK10US$2,030US$2,487

S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.

TM Country Selection  Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.

Word marks you may have considered opposing

For Inditex's five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Inditex's own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.

Similar to ZARA HOME (classes 3, 9, 18, 25, 35; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.

Similar to ZARA (classes 3, 9, 18, 25, 35; no close matches in the search)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.

Similar to CLEAR TO WEAR (classes 3, 9, 18, 25; searched 2018-01-31 to 2026-11-08)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.

Similar to SAFE TO WEAR (classes 3, 9, 18, 25; searched 2019-04-24 to 2026-11-08)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.

Similar to BSK (classes 3, 9, 18, 25, 35; searched 2018-02-28 to 2026-11-08)

No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.

Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.

How S&Z can help you

S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.

We manage your trademarks – not just file them

Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:

Renewal managementEvery renewal date in your portfolio tracked and paid online.
Competitor watchGet real-time competitor analysis.
Similar-mark watchNew word marks that come close to yours, found as they are published using SimTM.
Expansion into AfricaLowest-cost trademark expansion into Africa - Nigeria, OAPI.

Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices

S&Z prices – South African trademarks

Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificateUS$240
Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same timeUS$225
Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing)R1,027
≈ US$62.29

Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.

Inditex's next five years of renewals

155 of Inditex's registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$9,655 over the five years.

Inditex: frequently asked questions

What should Inditex consider for its trademarks?
  • Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Namibia, Botswana and Nigeria – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “Inditex – relevant export countries”).
  • Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 41 (education & entertainment), class 32 (beer & soft drinks) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
  • Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.
Which of Inditex's brands have been protected the longest?
Several of Inditex's brands have been protected for generations and are still being filed today: ZARA (first filed 1995, most recently 2019); ZARA SRPLS (first filed 2018, most recently 2018); STWD (first filed 2019, most recently 2019); DNWR. (first filed 2020, most recently 2020); 26 1 18 1 (first filed 2021, most recently 2021). Brands that are refiled over decades – in new classes, new logos or updated packaging – keep their protection current as the business changes.
How many new brands does Inditex launch each year?
Counting only brand names it had never filed before, Inditex filed about 1.2 new brand names a year over the last five complete years, more than the 0.6 a year in the five years before; its busiest year in the last decade was 2021, with 2. Its closest competitors averaged 1.7 new brand names a year over the same period (Dkh Retail 1.8, Walmart 2.0, Moncler 0.0, Retailability 2.8, Truworths 1.8). New brand names are a good indicator of product launches and innovation.
How broadly does Inditex protect each brand?
Inditex has filed 47 different brand names. 19% of them are protected in a single class, while 18 cover five classes or more – the widest is ZARA HOME, in 23 classes. A brand used beyond its core product (merchandise, services, related goods) needs protection in each of those classes: in South Africa each class is a separate application.
When in the year does Inditex usually file trademarks?
Over the last ten years, Inditex filed most often in March (25% of its filings), November (18%) and June (9%); the busiest quarter was Q4 (36%). Filing well before a launch matters: rights in South Africa date from the filing date, and examination can take more than a year.
Which classes do Inditex's competitors protect that Inditex does not?
Several of Inditex's closest competitors have filed since 2015 in classes Inditex has never used: class 41 (education & entertainment, 3 of its top five competitors); class 32 (beer & soft drinks, 2 of its top five competitors); class 30 (coffee, flour & sweets, 2 of its top five competitors). These are not necessarily gaps – they may reflect different products – but they are worth reviewing against the goods and services the business actually offers or plans.
Why did some of Inditex's trademarks take more than five years to register?
Of Inditex's trademarks registered in the last two years, 38% had waited more than four years since filing. Almost all of that time is examination: the South African registry has been working through a backlog, so many applications filed in 2020–2022 are only now being accepted. Once a mark is accepted, it is advertised and normally registered within about six months. Prompt responses to the registry's examination reports (office actions) avoid adding further delay.
How long do Inditex's South African trademarks last, and when must they be renewed?
A South African trademark registration lasts ten years from the filing date and can be renewed for further ten-year periods indefinitely. Renewal can be paid in the months before the due date, and a six-month grace period applies after it, with a late-payment fee; a mark that is not renewed is removed from the register. A registered mark can also be challenged if it has not been used for five years or more, so use matters as much as renewal.
Do Inditex's South African trademarks protect its brands elsewhere in Africa?
No – trademarks are territorial, and a South African registration covers South Africa only. South Africa is not a member of the Madrid system, so international registration is not available to South African applicants. Protection elsewhere in Africa comes from national filings (for example Nigeria), a single OAPI registration covering 17 West and Central African states, or a regional ARIPO application designating member states such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. S&Z files in all of these, including Nigeria together with South Africa (SANi).
What can Inditex do if someone files a mark similar to one of its brands?
When a new application is advertised for opposition, the owner of an earlier, similar mark can oppose it – in South Africa within three months of the advertisement (this period can be extended). After registration, a conflicting mark can still be challenged through rectification of the register, and use of a confusingly similar mark can be stopped through an infringement action. The key is seeing new applications in time, which is what a similar-mark watch does.
What is SimTM?
SimTM is the similar-trademark technology behind GlobalIPCo's South African trademark watching services, which S&Z uses. It identifies newly published trademarks that sound or look similar to a registered mark, at four levels of sensitivity that progressively widen the marks flagged – from the most relevant to marks of more general interest. It is fast enough to check every trademark journal as it is published, so owners can be alerted to similar marks while they can still be opposed within the three-month opposition period. The word marks listed under “Word marks you may have considered opposing” were found with SimTM's two closest levels and then reviewed, so only marks we consider confusingly similar to Inditex's brands are shown.
How accurate is the information on this page?
The figures, charts and videos on this page are based on trademark and trade data obtained by S&Z, and are only as accurate as that data. Records can be incomplete, delayed or contain errors, and linking marks to Inditex and its group companies involves judgement. S&Z therefore does not guarantee that all the information is 100% accurate or complete. It is a general overview, not legal advice: please contact S&Z before relying on it for a filing, renewal, opposition or other decision.