EUIPO and member offices: communication on examination of formal requirements and grounds for refusal of new types of marks

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the offices of the EU member states have prepared a common communication on the examination of formal requirements and grounds for refusal and/or invalidity of new types of trademarks - sound, motion, multimedia and hologram marks - and the new ways of representing them.

The aim of the common communication is for the authorities in various countries and the EUIPO to reach similar and predictable results. The purpose is to increase transparency, legal certainty, and predictability for the benefit of experts and users. Even though the formal requirements and grounds for refusal of new types of marks are always examined separately in each case, these principles are used as guidelines in order to ensure a predictable result. The communication also describes what kind of impact the elimination of the graphic representation requirement has on the examination.

The PRH participated in the preparation of the communication and has, for its part, approved it. The common practice applies in Finland as of 14 April 2021.

Read the Common Communication on examination of formal requirements and grounds for refusal of new types of marks on the EUIPO website.

For more information, please contact:
Sara Henriksson
Senior Legal Officer
Tel. +358 29 509 5523
Email: [email protected]