Croatian Accession to EU to Affect EU Trademarks, Designs

As a result of Croatiaís approaching accession to the European Union on July 1, 2013, EUís trademark and design regulations will enter into force in Croatia and all registered EU trademarks and designs will automatically extend to the new EU member state.

According to the notification recently issued by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), Community Trademark (CTM) applications filed from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013, or during six months prior to Croatiaís date of accession, may be opposed by a Croatian trademark owner, if the filing or priority date of the Croatian trademark is earlier than the filing or priority date of the opposed CTM application and if the national mark was applied for in good faith.

In June 2010, the OHIM started the internal preparations, which include translation of official documents and databases into Croatian and recruitment of staff from the new EU state. After Croatia joins the EU, it will be possible to submit trademark and design applications in Croatian.

The effects of the enlargement in terms of the proceedings before OHIM are thoroughly covered in OHIM’s manual.

Prepared by: Dalibor Radevic

For more information, please contact croatia@petosevic.com.

Source: Croatian IPO; OHIM