EUIPO Country list

A trademark or a design registration at EUIPO (former OHIM) will grant protection in all the 28 countries of the European Union, namely:

1. Belgium
2. Bulgaria
3. Denmark
4. Germany
5. Estonia
6. Finland
7. France
8. Greece
9. Great Britain
10. Irland
11. Italy
12. Latvia
13. Lithuania
14. Luxembourg
15. Malta
16. The Netherlands
17. Austria
18. Poland
19. Portugal
20. Romania
21. Sweden
22. Slowakia
23. Slovenia
24. Spain
25. Czech Republic
26. Hungary
27. Cyprus
28. Croatia

Werbung

OHIM Changes its Name to EUIPO

Starting with the 23^rd March 2016 the Office for the Harmonisation in the Internal Market- OHIM, will change its name into European Union Intellectual Property Office- EUIPO.

Furthermore, all the references to the Community will be substituted by references to the European Union or the Union, for example the term „Community trade mark“ will be replaced by „European Union trade mark“.

Ab Mittwoch, 23. März 2016, wird der Name des Harmonisierungsamtes für den Binnenmarkt- HABM in Amt der Europäischen Union für Geistiges Eigentum- EUIPO abgeändert.

Darüber hinaus, werden alle Bezugnahmen auf „die Gemeinschaft“ durch Inbezugnahmen auf die „Europäische Union“ oder „Union“ ersetzt werden, z.B., die Gemeinschaftsmarke wird dann „Marke der Europäische Union“ heißen.

Informationspflicht für Online-Händler

Wenn Sie einen Online-Shop als Händler betreiben oder Dienstleistungen online anbieten und Verbraucher ansprechen, dann sollten Sie Folgendes wissen:

Seit 9. Januar 2016 gibt es eine Neuregelung zur „Informationspflicht für Online-Händler“. Nach einer
EU-Verordnung Nr. 524/2013 (ODR-Verordnung) sind Online-Händler seit dem 9. Januar 2016 dazu verpflichtet, auf eine „Online-Streitbeilegungsplattform“ zu verlinken.

Diese Plattform auf EU-Ebene soll eine Anlaufstelle für Verbraucher und Unternehmer sein, um Streitigkeiten außergerichtlich beilegen zu können. Betroffen sind Händler mit eigenem Webshop genauso wie Anbieter bei Portalen wie ebay oder Amazon.

Der Link http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr muss für den Verbraucher „leicht zugänglich“ sein. Der Online-Händler muss in diesem Zusammenhang auch seine E-Mail-Adresse bekannt geben. Derzeit wird empfohlen, dies im Impressum zu verorten.

Aus dem Gesetz zur Umsetzung der Richtlinie über alternative Streitbeilegung für Unternehmen ergeben sich weitere Informationspflichten. Diese müssen innerhalb einer Jahresfrist nach Inkrafttreten des Gesetzes umgesetzt werden. Dieses Gesetz befindet sich noch im Gesetzgebungsverfahren.

Arbeitsfreie Tage bei der WIPO in 2016

Gemäß Artikel 26 (2) der Gemeinsamen Ausführungsordnung des Haager Abkommens, hat die Nutzer darüber informiert dass,  zusätzlich zu Samstag und Sonntag, das Internationale Büro der Weltorganisation für geistiges Eigentum (WIPO) in 2016 auch an den unten stehenden Tagen geschlossen ist:

Neues Jahr: Freitag, 1. Januar, 2016
Ostern: Freitag, 25. März, 2016; Montag, 28. März, 2016
Christi Himmelfahrt: Donnerstag, 5. Mai, 2016
Pfingsten: Montag, 16. Mai, 2016
Weihnachten: Montag, 26. Dezember, 2016
Neues Jahr: Freitag, 30 Dezember, 2016

Darüber hinaus,  ist die WIPO auch am Donnerstag, 24. Dezember 2016, am Freitag, 25. Dezember 2016 und am Samstag, 31. Dezember 2016 geschlossen.

Use of Nice Classification Headings in trademark applications OHIM’s current practice

Using the Nice Classification Heading when applying for a trademark at the Office for the Harmonization of the Internal Market has been, over the years, a highly debated matter.
According to the former procedure, when filing a new trademark application, the use of the whole class heading class covered the whole alphabetical list of goods/services of that class. This practice led to numerous uncertainties and different ways of approach and eventually the Office had to establish clear rules for the identification of goods ad services in the trademark systems.

The first discussions regarding the necessity of a change have taken place after the European Court of Justice judgement in „the IP Translator“ case of 19 June 2012.
Later, in 2014, OHIM issued three official communications establishing new rules to help identify the goods and services for which protection is sought with a trademark registration.

The Common Communication on the Implementation of IP Translator v1.2 provides information regarding the domestic trade mark offices‘ approach in relation to the use of the Nice class headings while also stating the meaning that the class heading will have at OHIM.

The Common Communication on the Common Practice on the General Indications of the Nice Heading v1.1 states 11 general indications of the Nice class headings which, the trade mark offices considered to be non-acceptable for the identification of goods/services.

The Communication on the Common Practice on the Acceptability of Classification Terms v1.0 provides guidelines that will help determine if a classification term describes with clarity and precision the goods/services they refer to.

One of the most important changes adopted with the new communications results in the current practice (after „IP Translator“) that is used at the Office, when using a class heading for the registration of a trademark.

According to OHIM, in these cases the class headings are “to be interpreted literally” and if the applicant seeks protection for the full alphabetical list, each term will have to be listed individually.

Regarding the scope of protection of Community Trademarks containing general indications of the Nice class headings, again, the terms of the class headings are to be interpreted literally. Anyway, for the CTMs filed before the „IP Translator“ judgement, the class headings cover both the literal sense of the class headings terms and the alphabetical list of goods valid at the time of filing.

The aforementioned provisions are mentioned in the amending Regulation (EU) No 2015/2424 as well. Accordingly, article 28 (5) states: “The use of general terms, including the general indications of the class headings of the Nice Classification, shall be interpreted as including all the goods or services clearly covered by the literal meaning of the indication or term. The use of such terms or indications shall not be interpreted as comprising a claim to goods or services which cannot be so understood.”
Sources:
– Common Communication on the Implementation of IP Translator v1.2
– Common Communication on the Common Practice on the General Indications of the Nice Class Heading v1.1
– Common Communication on the Common Practice on the Acceptability of Classification Terms v1.0

EU Trademark Case Leads To Rules On Use Of Nice Classification

A new EU trade mark Regulation

On the 24 December 2015 the Official Journal of the European Union published Regulation (EU) 2015/2424 which will bring significant changes to the current Community trade mark Regulation.

The Amending Regulation will enter into force on the 23^rd March 2016 and the first important change regards the name of the Office, as from now on it will be called „European Union Intellectual Property Office- EUIPO“.

Furthermore, as the new regulation is adapted to the Lisbon Treaty, all the references to the Community will be substituted by references to the European Union or the Union. Accordingly, the term „Community trade mark“ will be replaced by „European Union trade mark“

The Amending Regulation will bring changes regarding the trade mark fees along with institutional and tehnical changes.

The most important changes regarding the fees will be:

– a new one-fee-per-class system for application and renewal fees (this means that applicants will pay a lower fee if they only apply for one class- 850 Euros for an electronic application and 1000 Euros for a paper application);

– an overall decrease in fees payable to the Office;

– the incorporation of the provisions of the Community trade mark Fees Regulation into the basic regulation.

The amendments of the prior regulation seek to streamline procedures and increase legal certainty along with defining all the Office’s tasks. It also introduces a legal framework for the existing cooperation between the Office and the offices of the Memebr States.

One of the institutional changes will also be the introduction of a European Parliament representative on the Management Board & Budget Committee for the first time.

With regard to the tehnical changes, some of them will come into force 90 days after the publication of the Amending regulation (on the 23.03.2016), while others will enetre into force 21 months after the publication.

The Regulation brings changes in thea areas of examination proceedings, absolute ground of refusal, relative grounds of refusal, goods and services, opposition and cancellation proceedings and appeals. Some of them will be:

– the elimination of the possibility of filing EU trade mark applications through national offices;

– functional signs (e.g colour or sound) will now be subject to the same prohibitions applied to shape marks;

– elimination of the possibility for users to add disclaimers in trade mark applications in order to overcome future absolute grounds of refusal;

– the Amending Regulation codifies the existing practice for trade marks filed after the judgement C-307/10 „IP Translator“;

– the elimination of interlocutory revision in inter parte cases, which will result in a shorter overall duration of appeal proceedings in these cases.

As for the changes that will come into force 21 months after the publication, they still have to be developed by secondary legislation, anyway the Office is committed to informing users about the impact of the modifications in advance of their entry into force.

Sources:

https://oami.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/eu-trade-mark-regulation

https://oami.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/contentPdfs/legal_reform/regulation_20152424_en.pdf

WIPO News: Mexico

The Government of Mexico has recently declared that the amount of the individual fee payable (in Swiss francs) with respect to Mexico will change and will be as follows:

– 153 for each class of goods/services in case of application or subsequent designation;

– 164 for each class of goods/services in case of renewal.

The modification will enter into force on the 09th March 2016 and will apply to the cases where Mexico is designated in an international application; is the subject of a subsequent designation or has been designated in an international registration renewed on or after that date.

Source: http://www.wipo.int/edocs/madrdocs/en/2016/madrid_2016_6.pdf

Non-Working Days WIPO in 2016.

Pursuant to Rule 26 (2) of the Common Regulations under the Hague Agreement, users are hereby informed that, in addition to Saturdays and Sundays, the days on which the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is not scheduled to be open to the public during 2016, are the following:

NEW YEAR                Friday, January 1, 2016

EASTER                     Friday, March 25, 2016

Monday, March 28, 2016

ASCENSION              Thursday, May 5, 2016

WHITSUN                   Monday, May 16, 2016

CHRISTMAS              Monday, December 26, 2016

NEW YEAR                Friday, December 30, 2016

Furthermore, users are reminded that the International Bureau is not open to the public on Thursday, December 24, 2016, Friday, December 25, 2016 and Thursday, December 31, 2016.

Holiday notice for the German Patent and Trademark Office and the European Patent Office

German Patent and Trademarks Office (DPMA) and all the offices of the European Patent Office (München, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna) will be closed during the Christmas holidays, from the 24.12.2015 to the 03.01.2016 inclusive. All the services will resume as normal on the 04.01.2016.

Source:

https://www.epo.org/service-support/updates/2015/20151210.html

http://www.dpma.de/service/veroeffentlichungen/mitteilungen/2015/mdp_nr10_2015.html

Registration list of dubious exhibitors

Again and again our clients receive the offer to register in a exhibitor list or also to enter the property rights into a list. Here, it is about unserious offers and the registration in substandard online directories, which may contain in the small print hidden long-term payment obligations which may amount to several thousand euros. We distinctly recommend concerned persons to not sign those type of letters. It is also highly recommended to not effect payment.

There are two possibilities. Either one waits and observes the further proceeding and only responds to legal steps or, in case, one indeed signed a document it is necessary to urgently appeal the declaration and to declare the withdrawal or better to say the instant termination.

Please be aware of subscription traps!