Collective trademarks: Moving on from brand associations

The collective trademark was established by the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of March 20, 1883, which says a group of several entities can use a mark jointly. Under the current Polish legislation, article 136 of the Law on Industrial Property of June 30, 2000 provides that any legal entity representing the interests of several parties may be granted the rights to a collective trademark; it can be used by that organisation and the parties it represents. Although a collective trademark may be used by several entities, the right is granted in the name of one specific organisation.