Notably, the five offices agreed the TM5 ID List Project, an effort to create a database of pre-approved identifications/terms for trade mark classification purposes, which will be accepted by the five partners.
The TM5 partners are the IP offices of the US, Japan, Korea, China and EU (OHIM).
The TM5 ID List Search Tool includes a list of about 14,000 pre-approved identifications/terms for classification that will be accepted by all of the TM5 offices. In practice, besides the already existing TMClass and WIPO’s Madrid G&S Manager, users can now also rely on this TM5 ID-List classification tool.
More details about the TM5 ID List are available in a statement published by the JPO. The tool can be accessed via the TM5 ID List featured by TMClass.
In addition, the TM5 is looking into a search image project. The Cooperation Fund project Search Image was halted due to technical challenges which could not be overcome. However the SAIC (China) and JPO (Japan) have proposed resuming that project in the context of TM5 cooperation.
Finally, the TM5 are discussing a proposal to improve user involvement. This is something that MARQUES, along with other users associations, has promoted.
More information about the TM5 is available on its website. The Joint Statement on the agreements reached at the recent meeting is expected to be published there soon.
MARQUES may follow up on some of these developments during the bilateral meeting with OHIM being held in Alicante next month, following the MARQUES Spring Meeting.
Information courtesy of TM5 and OHIM.