The New Brand of the European Union

The new brand of the European Union is reality.

The procedure for streamlining trademark registration formalities within the Union began as early as 2015 and became official with the entry into force of Regulations 1001/2017, 1430/2017 and 1431/2017.

The latest news on the new European Union brand.

What’s new in the standard:

• Simplified online procedure for filing the registration application through the EUIPO portal in all the languages of the European Union;
• Uniformity of recognition and protection of the brand within all EU countries;
• Reinforcement of the protection of the brand in parallel with that of the individual Member States;
• Reformulation of the indication of products and services;
• Establishment of the “EUTM” Community Trademark Definition;
• Cancellation of the burden of graphic representation of the trademark;
• Introduction of the possibility to deposit certification marks;
• Increase or better specification of the rights conferred by the European trademark;
• New rules on taxation and examination and cancellation;

Extension of the rights of the holder of a EUTM, who “shall also be entitled to prevent all third parties from bringing goods, in the course of trade, into the Union without being released for free circulation there, where such goods, including packaging, come from third countries and bear without authorisation a trademark which is identical with the EU trademark registered in respect of such goods, or which cannot be distinguished in its essential aspects from that trademark” (Article 9 (4) of the EUTMR);

Extension of the type of trademarks can be registered even without traditional forms that are distinguishable from unconventional signs such as three-dimensional, positioning and repeated ones. It is even possible to record moving sequences to distinguish a business brand or olfactory signs.

The company trademark, therefore, which has always been a symbol for recognising a company’s products, acquires new lymph and international protection, guaranteeing companies an effective regulatory uniformity within the 28 Member States and greatly reducing the waiting time for registration.

The new European Union brand is, therefore, the new symbol of international and community trade. It is a step forward against counterfeiting and abuse and is an excellent tool for collective entrepreneurship.