Just before Christmas the “EU trade mark reform legislative package” was formally published. This makes significant changes to the trade mark systems in the EU at a national and supranational level. The package comprises a new Directive, which harmonises the trade mark laws of the EU Member States, and an amending Regulation, which sets out the rules applicable to the Community Trade Mark (CTM) – the unitary trade mark right covering all 28 Member States of the EU – and to the Office which administers the CTM. In a series of posts over the next week or so we will look at these upcoming changes (big and small) and what they mean for brand owners and practitioners. The most immediate of these changes is the Regulation which comes into force on
23 March. This affects what (until now) has been known as the CTM. This new Regulation makes changes in three main areas: trade mark fees; technical practice changes; and institutional changes for the Office. In our next post we look at perhaps the most visible changes brought about by the Regulation: the new name for the CTM (which will become the European Union Trade Mark) and the new name for the Office (OHIM will become the European Union Intellectual Property Office). If you have any questions on the new legislation and how it might affect you, please do contact us.
Found this article interesting today?
Send us your thoughts:
