Weekly Trademark Update – Dec 2021 (1 of 3)

“Because of the current coronavirus situation in the Helsinki area, we are closing our customer service point in Helsinki from 1 December 2021 until 31 January 2022 as a work and customer safety measure.
Our online services and telephone services will be running normally.

Our customer service number 029 509 5030 is open Mon–Fri until 30 November at 9.00–16.15 and from 1 December at 9.00–15.00.
You can send paper notifications by post or leave them in our mailbox on the wall of our office building at Sörnäisten rantatie 13 B, Helsinki. We recommend that you use our online filing service. It is quicker and cheaper than using paper forms.

Our online services and information services are available at the prh.fi website.
Email us for more information:

Finnish Trade Register
Advice: neuvonta.kaupparekisteri@prh.fi

Trademarks
Advice: neuvonta.tavaramerkki@prh.fi
Advice relating to trademark classification: luokitusneuvonta@prh.fi
Email your office action response, or any additional submissions, to: tmposti@prh.fi

Patents
Advice: advice.patents@prh.fi

Design rights
Advice: neuvonta.malli@prh.fi

Associations
Advice: neuvonta.yhdistysasiat@prh.fi
We are prepared to carry out our duties as an authority despite the coronavirus outbreak. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

For more information, please contact:
PRH Customer Service
Tel. 029 509 5030
until 30 November Mon–Fri at 9.00–16.15
from 1 December Mon–Fri at 9.00–15.00″

“As an outcome of the ninth session of the Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS), the following new and revised WIPO Standards have been published in English, French, and Spanish on the WIPO website.

New standards:

• ST.91: Recommendations on digital three-dimensional (3D) models and 3D images

Revised standards:

• ST.26: Presentation of nucleotide and amino acid sequence listings using XML
• ST.27: Exchange of patent legal status data
• ST.37: Authority File of Published Patent Documents
• ST.88: Electronic representation of industrial designs

These updates reflect much dedication and effort from the CWS task forces involved, and the ongoing collaboration and goodwill of all CWS participants.”

“This page provides practical information to help you make the most of your IP when doing business in ASEAN.

This page provides practical information to help you make the most of your IP when doing business in the area covered by the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN).

The Member States are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and VietNam.

While there is no regional IP office, there is a considerable amount of effort is placed on aligning standards and there are number of regional programmes businesses can use.

Trade marks

ASEAN TMview is a searchable online database of trade mark registrations and applications filed in participating ASEAN countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This database means business can do an initial search and understand what trade marks are available in participating countries. It is recommended to also do secondary searches on national databases before submitting an trade mark application.

Patents

The ASEAN Patent Examination Co-operation (ASPEC) is a regional patent work-sharing programme amongst participating ASEAN countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

ASPEC means businesses can use the search and examination reports from participating offices to accelerate the patent registration process in one of the other participating offices.

ASEAN Patentscope is a regional database businesses can use to search for registered patents in participating ASEAN countries.

Designs

ASEAN Designview is an online database of design registrations in participating ASEAN countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The database means businesses can do an initial search and understand what designs are available in participating countries. It is advisable to do secondary searches on national databases before submitting any design application.

Enforcing your rights

The enforcement environment varies across the ASEAN member states. The IPO have specific enforcement guides for ASEAN countries. These manuals provide a picture of the IP enforcement environment in country however the businesses are advised to take legal advice on specific IP cases.”

“The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents his compliments and has the honor to notify the deposit by the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on November 17, 2021, of its instrument of accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty, adopted at Geneva on December 20, 1996.

The WIPO Copyright Treaty will enter into force, with respect to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on February 17, 2022.”

“The launch of Next Generation of Digital Post is postponed to first quarter of 2022. This means that the digital communication with the Danish Patent and Trademark Office will not, as previously annouced, close in the period 26-29 November 2021.

You can therefore, as normal, use digital post to communicate with us.

Read more about the background for the postponement on the website of the Danish Agency for Digitalisation (information available in Danish).

“Turkish trademark holders looking to protect their marks abroad can now apply online through the Madrid e-Filing service.

The Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) is now giving access to the Madrid e-Filing service to trademark applicants via its website. Brand owners will have the possibility to file international applications online.

An integrated key feature includes in-app access to the Madrid Goods & Services Manager that allows users to check the classification of terms in their list of goods and services.

Today, the adoption of Madrid e-Filing by the IP Office of Turkey brings the number of users of this WIPO solution to fourteen.

The extension to Madrid e-Filing allows Turkish brand owners to take advantage of another main feature: the ability to communicate with their Office of origin and immediately receive and respond to irregularities issued by WIPO electronically. This feature is available to all participating Offices and helps to save a significant amount of time in the processing of international registrations.

Other key benefits

• Reduced application irregularities associated with manual data input, as the national IP office’s database prepopulates key information
• Direct access to the Madrid Goods & Services Manager for listing goods and services and checking acceptability of terms across 39 contracting parties of the Madrid Protocol
• A streamlined certification process at the Office of Origin
• Synchronized filing with WIPO
• Live application status displayed in the e-Filing dashboard
• One service covering the whole registration process

How to use the Madrid e-Filing service

1. Log on to the website of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office and select  “Madrid e-Filing Uygulamas? Ba?lant? Linki” under “Uluslararas? Marka Tescil Sistemi Bilgisi”.
2. Enter the basic application/registration number and check the fields prepopulated with data from records from TÜRKPATENT.
3. Select the designated Contracting Parties and goods and services for protection.
4. Update mark, holder, representative and language correspondence details.
5. Pay the handling fee for proceedings of the applications under the Madrid Protocol to TÜRKPATENT as described and the fees to WIPO using a Current Account at WIPO or a credit card.
6. Upon certification by TÜRKPATENT and the confirmation of payment, the system sends the application directly to WIPO for registration.
7. Respond to irregularity letters when necessary.
8. Receive your international registration number.”

“Under the Trade Marks Act 1995, the Registrar is required to advertise the outcomes, actions and status points of applications. These advertisements currently take place in the Australian Official Journal of Trade Marks via a daily publication of a PDF version of the Official Journal of Trade Marks, available on the IP Australia website.

Each publication presented in the daily Journal is also searchable within the Australian Trade Mark Search (ATMS) database. Details of each publication can be viewed within the ‘History and Publications’ section of the detailed view of each mark.”

“Our office will be closing for Christmas at 5.00 pm AEDT on Friday, 24 December 2021. We will re-open at 9.00 am AEDT on Tuesday, 4 January 2021. Our call centre will also be closed during this time.

While you won’t be able to speak to us on the phone during the break, our online services will still be available. This means you will still be able to file new applications and manage your existing rights online.

We wish you all a safe and enjoyable festive season and a happy new year.”