Ursula Höfermayer, Austrian Patent Office serv.ip Imre Gonda, Hungarian Patent Office INTA, May 2008, Berlin

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May When are trade marks important for enterprises?  Enter a foreign market  Set up a foreign base  Sell your products and services  Stand out from the crowd of competitors Create a significant sign

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May If you want to make sure that…  you are not going to infringe earlier trade mark rights  the unauthorised use of your established TM is revealed early enough  your TM is either outstanding or one amongst many Then you need a similarity search report

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May Antecedent for a new TM search service  complex TM systems in Europe (national, international, CTM)  large number of earlier TMs  „threat” of TM infringement / opposition / cancelation Existing demand for information about earlier TM rights that might be in conflict

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May Difficulties when acquiring TM info for a region  territorial divided rights  incomplete databases  circuitous ways collecting TM info  different legal interpretation  high costs, variety of languages  lack of unified source containing all existing TM rights

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May The solution: Objectives  Supply meets demand  Bring in some added value through –One stop shop –Better quality –Standardized information –Quick delivery –One language

Central European Trade Mark Observation Service

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May Product Description  Each NPO searches for confusingly similar trademarks, valid or pending in its country  CTMs are covered as well  Search for word marks and image marks  results of all similarity searches of all participating NPOs in an integrated layout  delivery time: 4-6 weeks  format : pdf  language: EN

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May The order process  E-order via  Easily accessible and easy to use form  Minimal data required (name, address, sign to be searched, Nice classes)  Wide range of options (type of signs and use of Nice classes)  Confirmation by  Payment upon receipt of invoice

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May Advantages for the customer  An attractive region  9 countries  Up-to-date databases  National language and trade mark culture  Expertise and experience  Necessary data well structured  Decision support on filing

CETMOS, INTA Berlin May The search report

Thank you for your kind attention!