soUtH EAstERn EURoPE
Montenegro
and Herzegovina. Th e new laws cover copyright, collective management of
copyright, industrial design, patents, trademarks, protection of geographical
Legislation indications and protection of topographies of integrated circuits. Th e laws
In June 2006, Montenegro declared independence, terminating the State
have not yet been submitted to the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and
Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Following the separation, Serbia retained
Herzegovina.
Serbia and Montenegro’s membership of the World Intellectual Property
Bosnia and Herzegovina has also progressed down the path of harmonising
Organization (WIPO) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). In
its national legislation with that of the EU. On December 1, 2004, it became
December 2006, Montenegro declared that the PCT would continue to apply
possible to extend European patent protection to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
in its territory, but it has not yet contacted the European Patent Offi ce (EPO)
And on September 24, 2008, Bosnia and Herzegovina acceded to the Geneva
regarding the Co-operation and Extension Agreement with the former state
Act of the Hague Agreement on the International Registration of Industrial
of Serbia and Montenegro.
Designs. It also signed the Madrid Protocol concerning the International
In addition, Montenegro enacted several new laws incorporating laws on Registration of Marks on October 27, 2008, and the World Intellectual
intellectual property rights: the Law on Patents, the Law on Trademarks, Property Organization Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) on
the Law on Geographical Origin Markings, the Law on Protection of
August 25, 2009.
Topography of Integrated Circuits, the Law on Legal Protection of Designs,
and the Law on Copyright and Related Rights.
Court practice
Rights arising from patent, petty patent, trademark, design or topography
Th e municipal courts and their commercial departments are responsible for
applications that had not been decided by May 28, 2008 are valid in
resolving IP disputes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Court proceedings tend to
Montenegro as of their fi ling dates (or their priority dates), provided that the
be rather slow, lasting about six months for fi rst instance proceedings, and
applicant fi led a request for registration by May 28, 2009. Serbian registrations from two to three years for second instance proceedings.
granted before May 28, 2008 are automatically valid in Montenegro; there
During 2009, there were about 10 intellectual property-related cases, most
is no need to fi le a request for re-registration until the trademark is due
for renewal. Intellectual property rights holders are advised to request a
of which dealt with trademark infringement.
Certifi cate of Registration as proof of their rights in this new jurisdiction.
Croatia
Court practice
Legislation
Macedonia’s commercial courts handle IP disputes where the opposing
Intellectual property rights in Croatia are regulated by the following laws:
parties are legal entities, while the basic courts deal with cases where the
the Patent Law, the Trademark Law, the Industrial Design Law, the Law
opposing parties are individuals.
on Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin of Products and
Th ere is no signifi cant case law in the fi eld as judicial practice is in its infancy,
Services, the Law on Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products
nor is it possible to estimate the length of court procedures.
and the Law on Copyright and Related Rights.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In recent years, a substantial eff ort has been made to harmonise Croatia’s
legal framework with that of the EU. Th ose laws that are yet to be
Legislation
harmonised have been identifi ed and will be remedied through future
amendments. To date, laws have been harmonised through: the Nairobi
Th e fi eld of intellectual property rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina is regulated
Treaty on the Protection of the Olympic Symbol, the Trademark Law Treaty,
by the Law on Copyright and Related Rights, the Law on Industrial Property
the Patent Law Treaty, the Vienna Agreement Establishing an International
and the Law on Protection of New Plant Varieties in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Classifi cation of the Figurative Elements of Marks, the Industrial Property
In December 2009, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers adopted Rights Law, the amended Patent Law and the amended Law on Drugs and
seven IP laws proposed by the Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia Medicinal Products.
www.worldipreview.com World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 143
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