At the end of 2015, the European Parliament approved an amendment to the regulation on Community trademarks. The amendments will enter into force on the 23rd March 2016 and the 1st October 2017 in some respects. These can be directly transposed by member states.
As a result of the amendment, the Community trademark will have a new name and shall be called the European Union trademark (EU trademark), while the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs) (OHIM), will be called the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Certain fees for EU trademarks will also change, while an additional fee for each class of goods and services beyond the first class is to be introduced. The regulation will also introduce changes to the classification of goods and services.
One can read further about this reform on the official OHIM website.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
