1. The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market

2. The Community Trade Mark (CTM) and Community Design
The European Union currently has 450 million inhabitants

3. What is the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market?
(OHIM)
EU Agency: Decentralised
Legal personality
Financial autonomy
Tasks: Community Trade Mark
(in operation since 1 April 1996)
Community Design
(in operation since 1 April 2003)
SPAIN
Alicante

4. THE OHIM The OHIM is a Community body (a regulatory agency involved in
exercising the executive function in a specific sector);
with legal personality;
independent in relation to technical matters;
with legal, administrative and financial autonomy;
administering the Community trade mark (CTM) and the
Community design (CD) systems;
in the framework of Community law;
with full regard and respect to the competencies exercised by
the Community institutions

5. THE OHIM OHIM’s mission is to promote and administer the CTM and
the CD systems:
to carry out registration proceedings and related proceedings
for CTMs and CDs;
to maintain CTM and CD Registers;
empowered to adopt individual decisions which are binding
on third parties and subject to legal control by the Court of
First Instance and the European Court of Justice.
The OHIM is also responsible together with Community Trade
Mark and Design Courts for decisions relating to the validity
of registered marks and designs.

6. Financial
Controller
Administrative Board
Budget Committee

7. OUR WORKING LANGUAGES EU OHIM All EU Member States Languages Spanish
German
French
English
Italian

8. There are currently around 650 people working at OHIM
Staff are recruited from all 25 Member States of the European Union
Nationals of new member states are being recruited
specific qualifications
All staff are proficient in at least 2 languages of the European Union

9. THE STAFF
Staff from all EU countries with corresponding legal, linguistic and cultural background
New: staff from new Member States
Seconded Experts from Member States, extended to EFTA countries

10. THE STAFF (BY CITIZENSHIP)

11.
BUDGET

12. 1st year of the Registered Community Design Enlargement
LATEST NEWS: MAIN TOPICS
E-business
1st year of the Registered Community Design
Enlargement
Proposal to modify CTMR
mainly Art. 39
Adhesion to the Madrid Protocol