Like the first event in Munich in April this year, the workshop focused on the representation of design applications using the Hague System, and how to overcome potential problems.
It was presented by Frédéric Glaize of Cabinet Plasseraud and Gregoire Bisson of WIPO. Frédéric said that the audience was a mixture of trade mark attorneys, attorneys-at-law and in-house counsel. "People were interested in overcoming the apprehension about using the Hague System for applicants, especially in the three major countries that have recently joined the system – the US, Korea and Japan," said Frédéric.
"The Hague System is not as popular in France as it could be: one reason I think people are reluctant to use it is because they feel that they have to deal with different requirements regarding representation," he added. Just 6.5% of Hague applications came from France last year, a fall of 8% compared to the year before.
The workshop addressed this by looking at the requirements and/or recommendations regarding the representation of views of a design, using examples. Lack of a sufficient number or clarity of views of a design can lead to the disclosure of the design being deemed insufficient, resulting in a refusal by the examining office.
In his presentation, Gregoire Bisson provided some specific data and examples from the USPTO, JPO and KIPO, as well as advice on how to overcome problems.
Other issues discussed in the workshop included time limits for responding to notifications of refusal, priority documents and deferment of publication.
Following the workshop, said Frédéric: "I hope people are now a little less afraid of the Hague System. French applicants are very familiar with Madrid but they don’t use Hague as much yet."
The Designs Team aims to host similar workshops in association with WIPO in other countries later this year. Check the MARQUES events page for details.
Issue 078
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