Community Trade Mark System - Overview

1.

Legislation on Trademarks

1.1

International legislation

1.2

EU legislation

1.2.1

The legal texts

1.2.2

Nature of the CTM system and regional scope

2.

Protected Signs

3.

Registration of Trademarks

3.1

Owner

3.2

Trademark

3.3

Goods and services

3.4

Priority (and Seniority)

3.4.1

Priority of an earlier filing

3.4.2

Seniority of an earlier national registration in a EU member state

3.5

Absolute grounds for refusal

3.5.1

The absolute grounds for refusal

3.5.1.1

No trademark

3.5.1.2

Lack of distinctiveness

3.5.1.3

Descriptiveness

3.5.1.4

Genericness

3.5.1.5

Functionality

3.5.1.6

Immoral signs

3.5.1.7

Deceptive signs

3.5.1.8

Official emblems

3.5.1.9

Geographical indications for wines or spirits/designations of origin

3.5.2

Registration based on secondary meaning

3.6

Relative grounds for refusal - opposition

3.6.1

Opposition deadline and fee

3.6.2

Grounds for opposition

3.6.3

„Cooling-off“ period

3.6.4

The adversarial part of the proceedings

3.7

Term of protection

3.8

Fees

3.9

Remedies

3.10

Flowchart: Registration proceedings

4.

Enforcement

4.1

Scope of Protection

4.1.1

Use of a trademark

4.1.2

Identity of signs and goods/services - double identity

4.1.3

Likelihood of confusion

4.1.4

Trademarks having reputation

4.2

Limitations of trademark rights

4.2.1

Own name, descriptive and referential use

4.2.2

Exhaustion

4.3

Claims for trademark infringement

4.3.1

(Pan-European) Injunction

4.4

Defences

4.5

Infringement Proceedings

4.5.1

Jurisdiction

5.

Loss of Protection

5.1

Revocation

5.1.1

Non-use

5.1.2

Trademark became generic

5.1.3

Deceptive trademarks

5.2

Invalidity

5.2.1

Absolute grounds

5.2.2

Prior rights

5.2.3

Registration by agent

5.2.4

Bad faith

5.3

Revocation and invalidity proceedings

5.4

Acquiescence

5.5

Conversion into national application

6.

Licences

7.

Securities

8.

Assignment

9.

Changes of name and address

10.

Representation at OHIM