Dr. Frank Remmertz
REMMERTZ SON

Selected Aspects Of The EC Trade Mark Reform
Trademarks are of substantial importance in an industrial and commercial sense and are closely associated with business image, goodwill and reputation. It is therefore very important to protect trade marks in those countries where they are to be used.

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the differ-ent routes to efficient trade mark protection in Europe and to identify the basic principles, the advantages and disadvantages of each trade mark protection system in Europe which will be helpful for companies to find an efficient filing strategy. The main focus of this article is on pointing out the characteristics of the Community Trade Mark System (the I) as the most significant trade mark system in Europe compared to the Madrid System for the International Registration of marks.1 Also, the article points out the basic procedural aspects of the proposed reform of the new European Union trade mark system initiated by the EC Commission (the Reform Package) published in March 20132 and its possible effects on trade mark filing strategies in Europe. A good pre-filing strategy will have direct positive effects on post-filing strategies such as licensing.