THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TRADEMARK TWO YEARS LATERTOKYO, February 3, 1.998

Luís Alfonso DuránDURAN-CORRETJER

Patent & Trademark Attorneys Since 1902Offices in Barcelona, Madrid & Alicante

Paseo de Gracia, 101 Tel.: (34-3) 218 16 1408008 - Barcelona Fax: (34-3) 218 90 85Spain E-mail: duco@bcn.servicom.es

DURAN-CORRETJER, Barcelona 1998

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THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TRADEMARK

Two Years Later

EUROPE EUROPEAN UNION

Pop. 368,7 million

4

BACKGROUND OF COMMUNITY TRADEMARK

• General principle : Principle of free circulation of goods & services within the european union. (Art. 30 of Rome Treaty).

• Exceptions : National trademarks (Art. 36 of Rome Treaty).

• Exhaustion of trademark rights within european union.

• Need to create a european wide trademark proteccion.

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WHAT IS A CTM

• Single application : CTM application.• Filed before a single authority : OHIM (Office

for the Harmonization in the Internal Market) Alicante (Spain).

• Through a single attorney : european trademark attorney.

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WHAT IS A CTM

• In a single language :

from five

English

Spanish

French

German

Italian

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WHAT IS A CTM

• Following a single prosecution.

• Obtaining a single registration : CTM.

• Enforceable through a single legal action : Community Trademark Courts.

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GOVERNING PRINCIPLES

1 - Coexistence

- National Trademarks

- International Trademarks

- Community Trademarks

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GOVERNING PRINCIPLES

2 - Conversion BeneluxFinlandGermanyGreeceItalyIrelandSpainSweden

etc.

Community Trademark

National

Trademarks

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GOVERNING PRINCIPLES

3 - Consolidation prior rights : Seniority

National Trademarks

BeneluxFinland

GermanyGreece

ItalyIrelandSpain

Swedenetc.

Community Trademark

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REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

Community Trademark Aplication

Formal Examination

Search

Publication

Grant

Examination Absolute Grounds

Oppositions or Observations

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LINGUISTIC REGIME

• Filing and publication :

11 languages of EU

English *Spanish *French *German *Italian *DanishDutchFinishGreekPortugueseSwedish

* Official languages of OHIM

No se puede mostrar la imagen en este momento.

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LINGUISTIC REGIME

• Community Trademark : Designation two languages

- 1st Language : CTM Application- 2nd Language : One of the 5 OHIM

languages

• Prosecution / Opposition / Nulity :One of the two designated being official OHIM.

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NEW SCENARIO

Multiple OptionsNational routeCTM routeMadrid protocol routeCombinationsFuture link (CTM/Madrid)

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NEW SCENARIO

Different prosecution systems Different certainty

Deposit only (IT)Deposit + Inf. Search (BX, AT)Opposition only (DE, FR)Ex officio exam. + oppos.

(ES, GB, PT, DK, FI, GR, IE, SE)

- National route

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NEW SCENARIO

- CTM route : opposition only + partial inf. search (CTM + nat. trademarks except IT, DE, FR)

- Madrid route : same as national.

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ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES

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ADVANTAGES

• Lower filing and prosecution costs.• Prosecution in a single language.• Easy registration

(no examination of prior rights “ex officio”).• Lower use requirements.• A single decision enforceable in all european union.• Consolidate earlier national rights into a CTM

(Seniority).

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DISADVANTAGES

• Registrability in all european union countries.• Unitary grant or rejection.• Lower legal certainty (no prior rights examination).• Can be easily attacked (one sole opposition, nullity,

cancelation).• Cannot be divided.

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QUESTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED

• Scope of protection.• Urgency in obtainig a registration.• Need to adapt trademark to each member state.• Same or different ownership in each member state.• Absolute grounds of non registrability in some member state.• Relative grounds of non registrability in some member state.• Need of protection in countries other than EU.• Existence of own prior rights.

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USEFUL ADVISES

• Search before filing (at least identical marks) There are many marks.

• Look to informative searches by OHIM (but wait to decide until oppositions).

• Complete searches during prosecution (IT, FR, DE) when opposition are received.

• Try to settle during prosecution seeking global agreements.

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USEFUL ADVISES

• Complete search after registration (IT, FR, DE).• Cancel or settle with conflicting earlier rigths

even if they did not file an opposition.• Watch new marks for opposition purposes.

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SOME CTM FIGURES

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CTM APPLICATIONS FILED BY EU NATIONALS

11.37

09.

162

4.14

64.

072

3.425

1.92

11.

515

1.152

1.05

51.0

27 614

483

336

235

1380

2.000

4.000

6.000

8.000

10.000

12.000GermanyUnited KingdomItalySpainFranceNetherlandsSwedenDenmarkAustriaBelgiumFinlandIrelandPortugalLuxembourgGreece

Source : OHIM.Situation on December 15, 1997

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CTM APPLICATIONS FILED BY NON EU NATIONALS

20.1

38

2.111

1.38

081

453

630

422

821

720

915

014

613

811

310

596

1.26

30

5.000

10.000

15.000

20.000

25.000USAJAPANSwitzerlandCanadaAustraliaTaiwwanHong KongIsraelTurkeySingaporeNorwayMexicoBrazilNew ZealandNetherlands AntillesOthers...

Source : OHIM. Situation on December 15, 1997

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CTM APPLICATIONS PER COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

20.13

811

.370

9.162

4.146

4.072

3.425

2.111

1.921

1.515

1.380

1.152

1.055

1.027 81

46.3

38

0

5.000

10.000

15.000

20.000

25.000 USA (1)Germany (2)United Kingdom (3)Italy (4)Spain (5)France (6)JAPAN (7)Netherlands (8)Sweden (9)Switzerland (10)Denmark (11)Austria (12)Belgium (13)Canada (14)Others

Source : OHIM.Situation on

December 15, 1997

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BREAKDOWN BY CTM NATURE

Word Marks64%

Figurative Mark34%

Other1%

3 D1%

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BREAKDOWN BY APPLICATION LANGUAGES

36.057

3.780 6.258

19.764

2.729 1129.389

13.743 7.9794.592 4.547 4.120 4.2290

10.000

20.000

30.000

40.000

English

German

Dutch

Spanish

French

Italia

n

Others

First Language Second Language

(1)

(1) (2)

(2)

(3)

(3)

(4) (5) (6)

(5)(4)

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NUMBER OF OPPOSED AND UNOPPOSED CTM APPLICATIONS

2.800

3.000

3.200

3.400

3.600

3.800

Opposed 603Unopposed 3.174

Total

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CTM OPPOSITION RATE

Unopposed84,0%

Opposed16,0%

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TIME TABLE

Acceptance of CTM filings withdate April 1, 1996

Official opening of OHIM

First bulletin published

Issue of first CTM certificates of registration

18Months

January 2/96

April 1/96

March 1/97

October 17/97

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CTM Nº2

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FORECASTS FOR COPING WITH THE BACKLOG

0

20.000

40.000

60.000

80.000

100.000

1.996 43.0001.997 68.000 10.000 1.0001.998 93.000 63.000 49.000

CTM FILED CTM PUBLISHED

CTM REGISTERED

~~

~ ~

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FORECASTS FOR COPING WITH THE BACKLOG

0

20.000

40.000

60.000

80.000

100.000

120.000

Published 10.000 63.000 98.000Unpublished 43.000 58.000 30.000 20.000

1.996 1.997 1.998 1.999

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NEW PROJECTED OHIM BUILDING

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NEW PROJECTED OHIM BUILDING

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NEW PROJECTED OHIM BUILDING

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NEW PROJECTED OHIM BUILDING

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THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TRADEMARK

Two Years Later

EUROPE EUROPEAN UNION

Pop. 368,7 million