In 2026, experts of the Latvian Patent Office (LPO) continue to evaluate registered trademarks and nominate candidates for the Trademark of the Year 2026 award. Throughout the year, we will introduce the nominees in a quarterly series of publications.
Nomination: Trademark of the Year for the European Union
Category: Figurative Mark
A trademark giving new meaning to the housekeeping profession – i stabene
The company Service Solution has been operating in the field of hospitality and cleaning services since 2012. Through its trademark “i stabene”, the company seeks both to draw attention to the profession that every day ensures guests’ comfort and maintains the high quality of hospitality services, and to give new meaning to the role of the housekeeper.
The trademark name is derived from the Latvian word “istabene” (housekeeper). In the logo, the stylised letter “i” forms the silhouette of a traditional hotel housekeeper, paying tribute to a profession whose work often goes unnoticed, despite the fact that it plays a crucial role in shaping the guest experience. At the same time, the logo’s design may also evoke associations with the queen in chess – one of the most important pieces on the board – symbolising the housekeeper’s vital role in the day-to-day operation of a hotel.
“Our goal is to enhance the prestige of this profession by combining hospitality industry standards with modern technologies and artificial intelligence. We believe that, in the future, the housekeeper will become a symbol of quality in the hospitality sector, and that the Latvian word ‘istabene’ will gain recognition beyond Latvia’s borders,” says the company’s Managing Director, Jeļena Baranova.
Nomination: Trademark of the Year for Latvia
Category: Word Mark
Part of the Heart and Life – ĶEPA UZ SIRDS
For the past 15 years, animal lovers have been able to follow the stories and adventures of pets great and small every weekend through the radio and television programme “ĶEPA UZ SIRDS” (“Paw on the Heart”). This year, the name of the popular programme was also registered as a word trademark.
Over the years, “ĶEPA UZ SIRDS” has become one of Latvia’s best-known and most enduring media brands dedicated to animal-related topics, building a strong connection with its audience and inspiring a responsible attitude towards animals.
Trademark owner, programme creator, presenter, producer and journalist Inese Kreicberga explains: “The trademark name has reflected the essence of the programme from the very beginning. An animal’s paw is placed on a person’s heart, symbolising that our pet is a part of our heart, our loved one and a member of the family. At the same time, a person has both the privilege and the responsibility of being their animal’s whole world. It is precisely this mutual bond, trust and care that lie at the heart of “ĶEPA UZ SIRDS.”
The LPO’s Intellectual Property Award “Trademark of the Year” is organised in two stages. First, each quarter, experienced Patent Office experts select four trademarks in the nomination “Trademark of the Year for Latvia” and four trademarks in the nomination “Trademark of the Year for the European Union”, which are then put forward for evaluation in the second stage.
The winners in both nominations of the “Trademark of the Year 2026” will be selected from among 16 trademarks registered with the LPO under the national procedure and 16 trademarks registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.