You absolutely need to do this. If cost is an issue - you can file a single application in a couple of classes in your local country, then broaden it out when

You absolutely need to do this. If cost is an issue - you can file a single application in a couple of classes in your local country, then broaden it out when funds allow until you cover the main countries you plan to operate. At the company I work for at the moment, we filed globally from very early on (probably cost £100k or something and takes a year or so), but every time we have an issue with a fraudulent domain name registration or something, we can recover it in days. Plus you can capitalise this as an asset, it's not an expense, so there are no downsides to it. I can recommend a specialist firm like Williams Powell (http://www.williamspowell.com http://www.williamspowell.com) in the UK.