Hungary adopts the principle of first-to-register trademark protection. However, the prior user of a well-known trademark is granted certain rights. Prior use of a well-known trademark can prevent others from registering a trademark or cause the registered trademark to be revoked. Hungary accepts the registration of commodity trademarks, service marks and collective trademarks and adopts the International Classification of Goods and Services for Trademark Registration.

Hungary is a member state of the World Intellectual Property Organization and a member state of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. It is also a member state of the Madrid Agreement on the International Registration of Marks, the Madrid Protocol, the Trademark Law Treaty, the Hague Convention, the Lisbon Agreement and the Nice Agreement on the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purpose of Registration of Marks, established in 1909. It acceded to the Madrid Agreement on January 1, 1997 and the Madrid Protocol on October 3, 1997. It is a member of both the Agreement and the Agreement.