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RAISING THE BAR


Either party can withdraw from the cooling-off period at any time and the timetable will then commence from the date on which the cooling- off period ended.


Te evidence period is affected in the following ways:


• Te opponent must file evidence in support of the opposition within three months of the date of receipt of the Notice of Intention to Defend.


• Te applicant must file evidence in answer within three months of the date of receipt of the evidence in support.


“EXTENSION


REQUESTS FOR FILING EVIDENCE WILL BE GRANTED ONLY FOR LIMITED REASONS AND NEGOTIATION WITH THE OTHER PARTY IS NO LONGER ACCEPTED AS A VALID REASON.”


Opposing a trademark application will require two documents to be filed:


• Notice of Opposition: this must be filed within two months of the date of advertisement of acceptance of the application.


• Statement of Grounds and Particulars: this must be filed within one month of filing the Notice of Opposition and must clearly identify the specific grounds of objection with sufficient details to substantiate each ground. Te registrar will review the Statement of Grounds and can request further details and may even dismiss the opposition.


Defending an opposition will now require the applicant to file a Notice of Intention to Defend within one month of receiving the Statement of Grounds and Particulars from the registrar—if this is not filed the application will lapse.


Once the Statement of Grounds and Particulars has been filed, the parties can jointly request a cooling-off period of six months which can be extended for a further six months by a joint request made before the end of the initial cooling-off period. However, the total cooling- off period cannot exceed 12 months.


• Te opponent must file any evidence in reply within two months of the date of receipt of the evidence in answer.


Extension requests for filing evidence will be granted only for limited reasons and negotiation with the other party is no longer accepted as a valid reason. It is possible to obtain an extension of time for filing evidence provided the registrar is satisfied that:


• Te party has made all reasonable efforts to comply; and


• Despite acting promptly and diligently, that it is impossible to do so; or


• Tere are exceptional circumstances that justify the extension.


Te registrar will then decide the length of the extended period having regard to what is reasonable. Exceptional circumstances include:


• Circumstances beyond the control of a party preventing such party from complying with the filing requirement;


• An error or omission by the registrar or an employee of the agent; or


• An order of court.


Tese new rules will undoubtedly shorten opposition proceedings but they will also place a far greater onus and burden on the opponent to nominate and clarify adequately the specific grounds of opposition within a month of filing the Notice of Opposition. Tis significantly shortens the time available within to conduct investigations and assess the merits of a matter.


We expect the Trade Marks Office to adhere strictly to the new rules which means that extensions of time to file evidence will be difficult to obtain.


Te fact that the opponent is granted only three months to prepare and finalise evidence means that immediate action is required once a


84 World Intellectual Property Review Annual 2013


Madeleen Rousseau advises on all IP issues namely copyright, trademarks, passing off, patents, confidential information and designs including the commercialisation, protection and enforcement of


Ike Papageorge is an IP lawyer and legal practitioner focusing on all aspects of trademark searching, filing, portfolio management and protection. Prior to joining Freehills in 2006, he was a partner in a leading South African IP firm for 18 years. Papageorge


has significant


experience in the valuation of IP and its use as a commercial asset. His experience includes advising large


industrial and


commercial enterprises, government agencies and universities.


Ike Papageorge is a consultant at Herbert Smith Freehills, Perth, Australia. He can be contacted at: ike.papageorge@hsf.com


Madeleen Rousseau is a senior member of the Herbert Smith Freehills IP team in Perth, Australia. She can be contacted at: madeleen.rousseau@hsf.com


decision has been taken to oppose a trademark application.


And so the race against time begins in the trademark opposition landscape in Australia. 


those rights. She joined


Freehills in 2009 and her practice relates to trademark registration and portfolio management, as well as clearance work for advertising and promotional campaigns, licensing and transfer transactions and conducting due diligence on IP matters. Rousseau is a regular speaker for industry bodies and universities on IP issues.


www.worldipreview.com


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