In 2026, experts from the Latvian Patent Office (LPO) continue to evaluate registered trademarks and nominate candidates for the “Trade Mark of the Year 2026” award. Throughout the year, we will present the award nominees in a series of quarterly publications.
Nomination: Trademark of the Year for the European Union
Category: Figurative Marks
With love and care for dogs’ health and happiness – “Joy for friends” ice cream
“Tērvete food”, a company best known for producing ice cream for people, has expanded its operations and implemented innovative ideas to develop healthy ice cream made in Latvia for dogs as well. Dog owners can recognise this snack under the name “Joy for friends”, which is also a registered trademark.
The journey from the idea, which emerged in 2023, to the final product has been carefully planned and based on a scientific approach. More than 70 prototypes were developed, involving leading researchers in food technology, veterinary medicine and animal nutrition from the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. The successful commercialisation of the product would not have been possible without researching consumer needs, which included three testing phases with the target audience and a quantitative study – a survey of dog owners.
“The essence of the brand “Joy for friend” is rooted in love for dogs and the desire to create a suitable, health-friendly product for them. The name “Joy for friends” symbolises the wish to delight our four-legged friends, while at the same time emphasising that the product is of such high quality that it can be safely enjoyed by people as well,” explains company representative Evita Štrausa.
Nomination: Trademark of the Year for Latvia
Category: Word Marks
“TRIVIUMS” – a meeting place for the growth of people and businesses
“TRIVIUMS” is a training and consultancy company that has been operating since 2000. Its name, which is also a registered trademark, comes from Latin and means a crossroads of three roads. In the Middle Ages, this term also had a special significance, referring to the three core subjects: grammar, rhetoric and logic.
These three basic disciplines form the foundation of further education and also align with the company’s field of activity – the delivery of training programmes in leadership skills, communication, sales, team effectiveness and organisational management.
“The TRIVIUMS trademark symbolises a place where people, knowledge and action come together as a turning point in the growth of an individual or a business,” explains company representative Agija Romaņenko.
The Intellectual Property Award “Trademark of the Year”, organised by the LPO, is conducted in two stages. First, experienced LPO experts select, on a quarterly basis, four trade marks for the nomination “Trademark of the Year for Latvia” and four trade marks for the nomination “Trademark of the Year for the European Union” which are then put forward for assessment in the second stage.
The winners in both nominations of “Trademark of the Year 2026” will be selected from 16 trademarks registered at the LPO through the national procedure and 16 trademarks registered at the European Union Intellectual Property Office.