Trade Mark practitioners may (or may not) have noticed that there has been a change of practice at OHIM concerning the "publication notification letters" (otherwise known as "L214 letters") as of 1 February 2011.  In short: OHIM has stopped sending L214 letters. 

While this change was announced by OHIM, for example in January 2011 in Alicante News, and reported by Class 46 (see here) it nonetheless came as a surprise to some practitioners.  

So why this change?  CTM users may recall that in October last year OHIM introduced an e-mail notification system in its CTM e-filing form and since then “only a few clicks on the e-filing form are required to ensure that the filer will immediately be notified by e-mail once their application has been published". Alicante News in January 2011 reported that "the availability of e-mail alerts created on demand at the time of filing or at any moment afterwards, and the increased popularity of the new fully electronic solutions, have prompted the office to change the current practice of sending a publication notification letter (L124) each time a new application is published."

According to OHIM's helpful and friendly Communications Service "CTM watch" has been increasingly popular and "... you can set it to send you an e-mail automatically when publication takes place." Further, "it applies to applications made after 1 February so you may  still have received the L124 letter in March if the application was made in e.g. January.”  

More information about CTM Watch alerts is available on OHIM’s website where you can peruse an “online tutorial on how to set up an alert from CTM E-Filing”.