Amendments to the Trade Marks Act and the Industrial Design Protection Act entering into force

22.03.2019 | 00:00

On 29 March 2019, amendments to the Trade Marks Act and the Industrial Design Protection Act will enter into force, whereupon the Patent Office will switch to an electronic procedure for trade marks and industrial designs, it will be easier to prove the right of representation of a patent attorney at the Patent Office, and the procedure for payment of the state fee is also simplified. The exclusive jurisdiction of intellectual property disputes will be conferred on the Harju County Court.
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Moreover, the amendments to the Directive harmonising trade mark law in the member states of the EU will enter into force on 1 April 2019, abolishing the requirement of graphical depiction of trade marks in the existing law, simplifying the protection of non-traditional trade marks, such as sound, multimedia and hologram marks, eliminating the examination for relative grounds for refusal during the registration of trade marks in the Patent Office, and amending the structure of the Industrial Property Board of Appeal and extending its competence by transferring the Board from under the Ministry of Justice to under the Patent Office.

Full English texts of the Trade Marks Act and the Industrial Design Protection Act will be available on the website of Riigi Teataja.

The Estonian Patent Office