On August 1, OHIM’s Manual of Trade Mark Practice will be entirely phased out and replaced with a fully revised set of Guidelines.
The Guidelines have been under revision at OHIM since 2013, with input from EU national and regional IP offices and users. Their process of revision was divided into two parts – with the first, updated set of Guidelines put into use at OHIM in February 2014, alongside the Manual.
On August 1, however, the Guidelines became the sole source of reference for the Office’s practice with regards to trade marks and designs.
The Guidelines have been thoroughly updated with case law from the Court of Justice of the EU, the case law of OHIM’s Boards of Appeal and the outcome of the Convergence Programmes. The revision of the Guidelines will increase consistency and predictability for users, and is aligned with the goals of OHIM’s Strategic Plan. They are accessible to all users – currently in the 5 languages of OHIM, but will soon be available in all the official languages of the EU.
Source: OHIM
