Trademarks are used to distinguish goods and services of companies. The classification of goods and services is defined by the International treaty known as "Nice Classification" or "International Classification of Goods and Services". Every five years the Nice Classification is revised.
EPC Amendments coming into force on April 1, 2010
The Administrative Council of the European Patent Organization has decided to further amend the EPC Implementing Regulations. These amendments will come into force on April 1, 2010 and the most remarkable amendments are the following:
- General increase of fees by about 5%
- Introduction of time limit for the filing of divisional applications
* Time limit for divisional applications filed on the applicant's own volition
* Time limit for divisional applications after an objection under the lack of unity has been issued
* Transitional provisions
- Early duty to restrict the number of independent claims of the same category to one
- New possibility to identify subject matter to be searched under certain circumstances
- Duty to file a response to the extended European Search Report
- Restriction of the period to amend the application on the applicant's own volition
- Duty to provide detailed disclosure basis for amendments
- Duty to file a response to the International Search Report (ISR) and the International Preliminary
Examination Report (IPER) if the EPO was the responsible authority as well as to the Supplementary
European Search Report
Our attached newsletter gives more detailed information on the above outlined remarkable amendments.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| EPAcirc.pdf | 24.44 KB |