Writing in the Financial Times this week, Nikki Tait reports that the cost of obtaining trade mark protection in Europe is planned to be slashed by about 40 per cent. European Union internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy is said to have told an audience in Brussels that he intended to propose a cut in the application and registration fees for a Community trade mark before the end of this year: a simplified fee structure will be introduced, reducing the cost to about €1,000. McCreevy, who did not mention any other aspects of the fee overhaul, added that the Commission intended to conduct "a comprehensive study covering issues such as the added value trade marks can bring to companies, the awareness of potential users and the costs of a trade mark".