INOVACESS web-portal now operational

INNOVACCESS web-portal has been modernized under the IPorta project, created by the European Agency for Competitiveness and Innovations. Inovaccess portal offers information on the systems of intellectual property protection in the countries that participate in the project just like in the other countries in Europe, for the sake of easier survey of the procedure, costs of protection and contacts of the relevant institutions that participate in the system of intellectual property. Current Inovacess portal network consists of 27 countries.

Serbia

Amendments to the Law on Trademarks

The Law on Amending the Law on Trademarks has entered into force on 7th February 2013. Aim of the amendments provided therein is to, amongst other things, remove the disadvantages caused by terminology faults and enable a more efficient trademark protection system in the court proceedings with regards to the civil law protection by introducing the following: (a) abolishment of the trademark holder's right to prohibit transit of the goods carrying the protected mark, (b) introduction of the national system of exhausting of the rights, (c) extension of the active legitimation while filing a claim because of trademark infringement to the (ordinary) license holder, (d) extension of the claim content, (e) introduction of the request for rendering preliminary measure without hearing of the opponent, (f) introduction of damage recovery request in case of preliminary measure, and (g) introduction of the extraordinary legal remedy- right to request a revision. The Law also aims at harmonizing the national legislation with the EU directives 2004/48/EZ and 2008/95/EC.

Romania

Romania joins OHIM seniority project

Romania has become the 13th EU National Office to implement the Seniority Project, thereby joining other European countries who keep accurate seniority data track, as this information is important for Community trade mark owners who have previously registered an identical mark in an EU member state which has been surrendered or allowed to lapse. Seniority project establishes links between entries in the national and Community databases thus making the information accessible online.

Croatia

State Intellectual Property Office publishes "Intellectual property rights' guide"

State Intellectual Property Office is publishing "Intellectual property rights' guide" which aims at informing interested parties on a wide range of protections offered by intellectual property rights as well as informing public in general of the ever rising issues that come from infringement of intellectual property rights.

This Guide defines what falls under the scope of illegal use of protected rights, how to avoid intellectual property rights infringement, what is implied by the terms of infringing or pirated and why such terms could be deemed threatening to the community as a whole.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.