Registering a trademark in EU, protecting your brand image.

1. Trademarks in EU (excerpt)
Professional Training in Milan (Italy)
3 March 2014
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto, Ph.D.
Attorney at Law
Bar Association of Milan

2. Your Identity
Trademark: a recognizable sign (design or expression)
which identifies your products or services from
those of others.
If you are in business, you have a trademark.
It's your identify.
The brand image is often more important than
products and services themselves.
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

3. Protect IP assets
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights
Art 17. Right to property:
1. Everyone has the right to own, use, dispose of and
bequeath his or her lawfully acquired possessions. No
one may be deprived of his or her possessions, except
in the public interest and in the cases and under the
conditions provided for by law, subject to fair
compensation being paid in good time for their loss.
The use of property may be regulated by law insofar as
is necessary for the general interest.
2. Intellectual property shall be protected.
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

4. EU system
Directive 89/104 (now Directive 2008/95):
harmonization of substantive national laws
Regulation 40/94 (now Regulation 207/2009): the
“Community Trademark”
Unified trademark registration system in
Europe: one registration provides protection in
all member States of the EU
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

5. Requirements
Art. 2 Directive and Art. 4 Regulation
Two requirements for a trademark:
a) the sign must be capable of being represented
graphically;
b) the sign must be capable of distinguishing the goods or
services of one trader from those of another.
Traditional and “Nontraditional” marks
(appearance, motion, shape, sound, scent, taste,
touch..)
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

6. Grounds for refusal
Any mark may be registered as a trade mark unless a
specific ground for refusal exists:
Absolute grounds: related to the intrinsic qualities of
the mark
Relative grounds: related to conflicts with earlier trade
mark rights belonging to third parties
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

7. Types of Relief
Opposition proceedings
Cancellation proceedings
Civil remedies (injunctive relief, corrective
advertising, accounting of profits, actual damages, etc.)
Criminal penalties for trademark counterfeiting
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

8. Cases Before the EU Court of Justice
Sieckmann/DPMA (smell Cinnamat) - Case C-273/00
Shield Mark BV/Kist (Für Elise, kukelekuu)- Case C-283/01
Libertel Group/BBM (colour ORANGE) - Case C-104/01
Philips/Remington (triple-headed shaver) - Case C-299/99
Dyson/UK Patent Office (transparent bin) - Case C-321/03
Glaverbel/OHIM (patterned glass) - C-445/02
Procter & Gamble/OHIM (soap shape) - C-107/03
Eurocermex SA/OHIM (CORONA bottle) - C-286/04
Windsurfing C./Huber & Attenberger (chiemsee) - Cases C-108-109/97
Nestle SA/Mars UK Ltd (Have a Break) - Case C-353/03
Procter & Gamble Co./OHIM (baby-dry) - Case C-383/99
Wm. Wrigley Jr. / OHIM (DOUBLEMINT) - Case C-191/01 P
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

9. Registering a trademark in EU
WHO
can register a trademark?
WHY
should I register a trademark?
WHAT
should I register?
HOW
to register a trademark?
WHERE
to register a trademark?
WHEN
to register a trademark?
WHAT
language should I use?
Avv. Andrea Maggipinto

10. Avv. Andrea Maggipinto, Ph.D.
andrea.maggipinto@gmail.com
@amaggipinto
andreamaggipinto
W W W . M A G G I P I N T O . O R G
Via Caradosso n. 7
20123 Milan (Italy)
T: +39 02 48102313
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