EU trademark talks face delay
Trademark reforms in the EU could be delayed after a meeting set to finalise the changes has been postponed.
A trilogue between the European Parliament, Council and Commission, which was originally scheduled for December 16 to discuss the trademark package, has been delayed until further notice.
In a joint statement, the parliament and council said all three institutions have been “working very hard” throughout 2014 to adopt the package without any undue delays.
But, the statement said, despite the “broad consensus on many aspects of the proposal”, the parties considered that some additional time was needed in order to be able to arrive at a final conclusion on all essential elements of the package.
“The co-legislators have decided jointly to postpone the final trilogue scheduled originally for December 16. The new date of this trilogue will be communicated shortly,” it added.
A trilogue is an informal meeting attended by representatives from the parliament, council and commission.
An agreement has already been reached on many issues for reform, including the treatment of goods in transit and small consignments, the EU said.
The proposals call for more effective measures to prevent counterfeits entering the EU, particularly those delivered in small consignments.
A trademark owner, the proposals said, should be entitled to prohibit the importation of counterfeits where only the consignor of the counterfeits acts in the course of trade.
In cases where such prohibition measures are taken, the proposals said, member states should ensure that those who have ordered the goods are informed about why the measures have been implemented.
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