EU trade marks recreated in the UK
More than two million trade marks and designs registered at the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) have been recreated in the UK ensuring continuation of protection.
All EU Trade Marks (EUTMs) and Registered Community Designs (RCDs) that were registered as at 11pm on 31st December 2020 have been recreated as UK rights with the same priority and filing dates.
EUTMs and RCDs cover all current member states of the EU. This coverage was due to end in the UK at the end of the transition period, however, to ensure continuation of legal protection in the UK the rights have been ‘cloned’.
Anyone who owned a registered EU trade mark or design right at the end of the transition period will now also own an equivalent UK trade mark or design right.
There is a nine month window to reapply in the UK for EUTMs or RCDs that had been filed but not made it to registration before 31st December 2020.
Holders of international trade marks designs that designate the EU as at the end of the transition period have also had equivalent rights created on the UK register.
Tim Moss, UK IPO CEO said: “I am really pleased to confirm that we have successfully added two million ‘comparable’ registered rights to the UK registers and our systems are working well. Many thanks to our teams and our partners for working so hard over the last four years in preparation for this moment.”
If you are a business and are unsure about your EU rights, please get in touch with a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney for quality professional legal advice.