ICELAND
ICELAND
BY REGISTERING A DESIGN WITH THE IPO IT IS POSSIBLE, SUBJECT TO CERTAIN CONDITIONS, TO PROTECT THE DESIGN FOR 25 YEARS.
Agent
An applicant who is not domiciled in Iceland must have an agent residing in the EEA, in a member state of the European Free Trade Association treaty, or in the Faroe Islands, who can represent the applicant in all matters concerning the application.
Right of priority
Iceland is a party to the Paris Convention. If an application has been filed in a country which is party to the convention, the applicant may, within 12 months of the date of application, file an application relating to the same matter in another country, including Iceland, and claim right of priority with reference to the initial application. Te later application is then regarded as having been filed on the same date as the earlier application (the date of priority).
Application
Applications for patents in Iceland shall be submitted to the IPO. An application form must be filled in and filed together with a detailed description of the invention, as provided for in the Patents Act No 17/1991.
Application documentation may be in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish or English. In the event that the description, patent claims, abstract and text on drawings is not in Icelandic, the patent claims, abstract, and the text on the drawing to be published will be made available in Icelandic translation before the application is made accessible to the public. Te description shall be available translated into Icelandic or into English before the patent is granted.
Trademarks
Trademarks are used to label goods and services. Trademarks may be any type of visible sign used to differentiate the goods or services of one party from the goods or services of other parties. Moreover, trademarks
154 World Intellectual Property Review e-Digest 2012
are often used as company names and domain names. By registering a trademark with the IPO it is possible, subject to certain conditions, to protect goods and services identifiers for 10 years at a time and to renew such protection regularly for as long as the trademark owner desires.
The rights established by trademarks legislation (see Trademarks Act as amended) entitle a trademark proprietor to exclusive rights to use the trademark in Iceland and, as a result, the right to prohibit others from using, for commercial purposes, marks that are identical or similar to its own trademark. Furthermore, it is important to register a trademark if it needs to be protected from outside exploitation.
Designs
From the viewpoint of IP, the term ‘design’ applies to the appearance of a product. The appearance of a product depends first and foremost on its form, although other aspects may have an effect, such as colour and materials.
Design is defined by the visible appearance of a product. Even if a product has a technical function, only its appearance is protected by design protection. The goods can be handmade or mass-produced. Examples of goods that can enjoy design protection include furniture, clothing, packaging, machinery, tools, foodstuffs and jewellery. A product need not be in three-dimensional form to enjoy protection. It can be two-dimensional, such as a screen display on a computer, a graphic symbol, or a decoration on another product, such as wallpaper. The more original and innovative the design is, the greater the likelihood it can be protected.
Applications submitted to the IPO apply in Iceland. However, it is also possible to apply for an international registration of a design (Hague system) where, for example, the EU may be designated. Designs must be new and
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