Montenegro to Adopt Three New IP Laws

The government of Montenegro is currently reviewing three new draft laws — the Draft Law on Trademarks, the Draft Law on the Legal Protection of Industrial Designs and the Draft Law on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductors.

The new trademark law aims to shorten the trademark registration process and achieve full compliance with the relevant EU regulations by abolishing the previous practice of substantive examination on relative grounds and introducing opposition proceedings.

Under the new system, a trademark application will be examined on absolute grounds only and if it meets the requirements for registration, it will be published in the Official Gazette of the Montenegrin IPO. Third parties will have three months from the date of publication to file a written opposition.

The new trademark law will comply with the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which is crucial for the process of Montenegrin accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The new trademark law is expected to enter into force within the next six months, while the other two laws are expected to enter into force by the end of the year.

For more information, please contact Jasna Jusic Paovic at our Montenegro office.

Source: The Government of Montenegro website