Publications

At the behest of the European Commission, a review is being undertaken by the Max Planck Institute into the workings of the Trade Mark Regulation and the Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market. The Federation made submissions through BUSINESSEUROPE on the question relating to what geographical area was sufficient to establish genuine use – maintaining that it was a fundamental precept of the common market that genuine use in a single member state was effectively use throughout the European Union, pointing out that to find otherwise would dis­advantage SME’s. The Federation also opposed a suggestion that 50% of re­newal fees should be given to national offices since we could anticipate that such income would be diverted to purposes not directly connected with Community Trade Marks.