Legal reform latest news
On 1st October the second phase of the legislative reform process entered into force, bringing a number of alterations to the EU trade mark system (as reported in last month’s issue of HouseMARQUES). These changes include the removal of the graphical representation requirement for EUTMs, the introduction of EU certification marks and some procedural modifications, including alterations to communication with EUIPO.
The main procedural changes are summarised on the Office’s website along with an in-depth frequently asked questions section. The Office’s Guidelines have been updated to reflect the improvements, and are available through the Current Trade Mark Practice section of the EUIPO website.
A webinar on the Legislative Reform Phase II: Boards of Appeal Procedural Issues 1 (English) Advanced level is scheduled to take place on 7th November from 10:00-11:30 CET.
European Cooperation projects
Meetings of the European Cooperation projects and the new Convergence Project CP8 took place in early October. MARQUES is fully involved in the projects and members of the European Trade Mark Law and Practice Team and Education Team took part in the following:
- ECP2 Major improvements to Existing CF tools: Front Office represented by Gonçalo Paiva e Sousa
- ECP3 New Tools: IP User Repository represented by Guido DonathAcademy e-learning portal represented by José Amorim
- ECP4 Shared Services and Practices: Convergence Analysis represented by Alessandra Romeo
- CP8 Use of a trade mark in a form differing from the one registered, represented by Riccardo Fecchio
New version of G&S Builder
The new release of the G&S Builder for EUIPO trade mark filings complements specialised legal knowledge and allows you to:
- Manage and edit existing lists in the user area
- Propose new terms to the Harmonised Database (HDB)
- Adapt Nice Class Headings into HDB-compliant terminology with the same scope with a couple of clicks
By doing so, users can avoid classification deficiencies, have their application fast-tracked and present more predictable specifications from a legal point of view.
Go to the builder!
Issue 082
