Slovenian IPO Issues Statements of Grant of Protection for International Trademarks

The Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) is to start issuing statements of grant of protection for international trademarks designating Slovenia with the application dates of January 1, 2011 or later, pursuant to the new Rules 18bis and 18ter of the Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Related to that Agreement. These rules pertain to the status of international trademarks in relation to designated contracting parties.

When all procedures regarding international registrations have been completed before the SIPO, the SIPO will send official statements to the WIPO that registrations have been granted protection in Slovenia. The SIPO is to start issuing the statements in April 2011, following the three-month opposition period, or at the latest within the prescribed 12-month period.

This change is particularly favorable to international trademark owners who were not formally informed about the status of their international registrations in Slovenia until now. In the past, the international registration became valid on the territory of Slovenia, or any other designated country, if the IPO had not sent a notification of provisional refusal to the WIPO within the 12-month period.

For more information, please contact Sinja Leskovec at our Slovenia office.

Source: SIPO