Trademark reform package good news for trademark owners

Increased legal certainty and clarity at reduced fee levels are some of the effects of the trademark reform package which was approved by the European Parliament last week.

The package entails a streamlining of the rules of both the national and EU trademark systems and encorporates recent EU case law. The new “one-class-per-fee” structure means reduced costs especially for SME trademark owners whereas all trademark owners will benefit from the reduced renewal fees.

Also terminology will change. The Community trademark (CTM) will be renamed European Union Trademark (EUTM) and the administrative office responsible (currently known as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market – OHIM) will be renamed the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Changes at national level will come into force within three years’ time. The reforms at EU level will come into force during the second quarter of 2016.