Handle claims by country
Short answer: an @handle claim uses the same official Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat processes in every country. The country pages below cover what changes locally: the trade mark register, the laws that touch impersonation and privacy, and how names are written. The platform makes each decision.
WHAT CHANGES BY COUNTRY
Proof and spelling change, the process does not
Each page names the trade mark office, the privacy and consumer bodies and the language notes that matter for a request from that country. Instagram is covered first, then TikTok and Snapchat. Nothing here is a promise about what a platform decides.
Canada
Trade marks: the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). Languages: English and French.
NORTH AMERICAUnited States
Trade marks: the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Languages: English.
EUROPEAustria
Trade marks: the Austrian Patent Office. Languages: German.
EUROPEBelgium
Trade marks: the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP). Languages: Dutch, French and German.
EUROPEDenmark
Trade marks: the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO). Languages: Danish.
EUROPEFinland
Trade marks: the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). Languages: Finnish and Swedish.
EUROPEFrance
Trade marks: the French National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). Languages: French.
EUROPEGermany
Trade marks: the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA). Languages: German.
EUROPEIceland
Trade marks: the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (Hugverkastofan). Languages: Icelandic.
EUROPEIreland
Trade marks: the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland (IPOI). Languages: English and Irish.
EUROPEItaly
Trade marks: the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM). Languages: Italian.
EUROPELuxembourg
Trade marks: the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP). Languages: Luxembourgish, French and German.
EUROPENetherlands
Trade marks: the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP). Languages: Dutch.
EUROPENorway
Trade marks: the Norwegian Industrial Property Office (Patentstyret). Languages: Norwegian.
EUROPESpain
Trade marks: the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM). Languages: Spanish, with Catalan, Galician and Basque.
EUROPESweden
Trade marks: the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV). Languages: Swedish.
EUROPESwitzerland
Trade marks: the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). Languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.
EUROPEUnited Kingdom
Trade marks: the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). Languages: English.
MIDDLE EASTIsrael
Trade marks: the Israel Patent Office. Languages: Hebrew, Arabic and English.
MIDDLE EASTQatar
Trade marks: the trademark registry of the ministry responsible for commerce. Languages: Arabic, with English widely used.
MIDDLE EASTSaudi Arabia
Trade marks: the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP). Languages: Arabic.
MIDDLE EASTUnited Arab Emirates
Trade marks: the Ministry of Economy trademark registry. Languages: Arabic and English.
ASIAHong Kong
Trade marks: the Trade Marks Registry of the Intellectual Property Department. Languages: Chinese and English.
ASIAJapan
Trade marks: the Japan Patent Office (JPO). Languages: Japanese.
ASIASingapore
Trade marks: the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). Languages: English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
ASIASouth Korea
Trade marks: the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). Languages: Korean.
OCEANIAAustralia
Trade marks: IP Australia. Languages: English.
OCEANIANew Zealand
Trade marks: the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ). Languages: English, te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.
All countries at a glance
| Country | Trade mark office | Personal data law |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) | PIPEDA |
| United States | the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) | state privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act |
| Austria | the Austrian Patent Office | the GDPR and the Datenschutzgesetz |
| Belgium | the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) | the GDPR and the Belgian Data Protection Act |
| Denmark | the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO) | the GDPR and the Danish Data Protection Act |
| Finland | the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) | the GDPR and the Finnish Data Protection Act |
| France | the French National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) | the GDPR and the Loi Informatique et Libertés |
| Germany | the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) | the GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) |
| Iceland | the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (Hugverkastofan) | the GDPR through the EEA Agreement and Act No. 90/2018 on data protection |
| Ireland | the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland (IPOI) | the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 |
| Italy | the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM) | the GDPR and the Italian Privacy Code |
| Luxembourg | the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) | the GDPR and the Law of 1 August 2018 |
| Netherlands | the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) | the GDPR and the Uitvoeringswet AVG |
| Norway | the Norwegian Industrial Property Office (Patentstyret) | the GDPR through the EEA Agreement and the Personal Data Act |
| Spain | the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) | the GDPR and the Organic Law 3/2018 |
| Sweden | the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV) | the GDPR and the Swedish Data Protection Act |
| Switzerland | the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) | the revised Federal Act on Data Protection |
| United Kingdom | the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) | UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 |
| Israel | the Israel Patent Office | the Protection of Privacy Law |
| Qatar | the trademark registry of the ministry responsible for commerce | the Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law 13 of 2016) |
| Saudi Arabia | the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) | the Personal Data Protection Law |
| United Arab Emirates | the Ministry of Economy trademark registry | the Federal Personal Data Protection Law (Decree-Law 45 of 2021) |
| Hong Kong | the Trade Marks Registry of the Intellectual Property Department | the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance |
| Japan | the Japan Patent Office (JPO) | the Act on the Protection of Personal Information |
| Singapore | the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) | the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 |
| South Korea | the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) | the Personal Information Protection Act |
| Australia | IP Australia | the Privacy Act 1988 |
| New Zealand | the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) | the Privacy Act 2020 |
YOUR QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Does the country I live in change how an @handle claim works?
Not the platform processes, which are the same everywhere. It changes the proof you can offer, such as a mark from your national office or a local business record.
Which platform comes first?
Instagram. Most requests start there, and the TikTok and Snapchat steps follow with their own forms and limits.
Is a country page legal advice?
No. Each page lists reference points such as the trade mark office and the privacy regulator. They are background for your own evidence and no promise about a platform decision.
My country is not listed. Can I still ask?
Yes. The processes are the same, and the price is agreed in chat before any work starts. Send the handle and say where you are.
Want it handled for you?
Send the username on WhatsApp or email. You hear whether it looks workable, and the price is agreed before we start.