Targeting a fair and balanced trademark protection system in Europe: The MARQUES experience

01-01-2011

Nunzia Varricchio

European and international IP environments have evolved rapidly in a significant number of areas concerning the protection, utilisation and enforcement of trademarks, designs, geographical indications and domain names.

2011 has a lot of potential for significant and even more sophisticated challenges for brand owners.

MARQUES, the Association of European Trademark Owners, has been at the forefront of all those institutional and policy-making processes that have led or will lead to reform of IP legislation and practice.

The most significant matters that will affect the evolution of IP include: the development of the Madrid system of international trademark registration; the progress of the Study on the overall functioning of the European Trade Mark system; the still controversial debates around the ICANN’s new gTLDs programme; and several consultations launched by the European Commission on top-priority issues, likely to bring about significant impetus to new legislative and policy-making processes in the near future.


MARQUES, Madrid Protocol, international trademark registration

WIPR