ECtA
The European Community Trade Mark databases in all EU national trademark
Association (ECTA) had a very busy 2009. The offices, accessible free of charge to all users
association brings together all European Union whenever they search. These should contain
professionals in the fields of trademarks, designs all trademarks used in Community Trademark
and related IP rights. (CTM) seniority claims
In the first significant development in 2009,
• To develop common IT systems, linking all EU
ECTA was nominated as an official observer
national trademark offices
on the Administrative Board of the Office of
• To allow users access to all current trademark
Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM)
databases for free
and subsequently on its Budget Committee,
• To provide an option for e-filing, online access
together with four other non-governmental
and e-renewal without requiring additional
organisations (namely, AIM, Business Europe,
documentation, with the option of credit-card
INTA and Marques). Observer status was long
payment, in all EU national trademark offices
overdue. The 27 EU member states represented on
• To introduce the trademark search service
the OHIM board considered it important to have
TMView, showing full data, including images
the users’ organisations even more actively involved,
of device marks, addresses, goods and services
in particular during board discussions on fee
covered, etc. and including data from all EU
reduction and establishing the Cooperation Fund.
national trademark offices supplied free of charge
Their presence at such a high level should favour
• To achieve European uniformity of classification
transparency, co-operation and communication
within the appropriate international framework
with users, who are the Community Trademark
system’s major stakeholders.
• To develop a module and materials for national
patent and trademark offices to use in CTM-
One of ECTA’s key aims is to help set up the
related education so as to ensure commonality
Cooperation Fund, which will significantly
of messages.
contribute to improving the trademark system
in Europe.
In a complementary note, ECTA added some
further suggestions to this list.
Together with the other four NGOs, ECTA identified
the projects that it considers to be a priority for
In order to significantly improve trademark
trademark users and that could be achieved with
systems across the EU, it is necessary to first
the €50 million allocated to the fund:
improve and unify the level of performance of
national trademark offices (organising back
• To ensure all EU national trademark offices
offices to achieve efficient productivity and
have adequate IT infrastructures
improve quality) but also to give priority to those
• To establish and maintain complete seniority countries that are less technologically developed
www.worldipreview.com World Intellectual Property Review Digest 2009 23
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