Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications
E WIPO/STrad/INF/5 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH DATE: AUGUST 30, 2010 Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications GROUNDS FOR REFUSAL OF ALL TYPES OF MARKS Document prepared by the Secretariat INTRODUCTION 1. From its twenty-first session (June 22, 2009 to June 26, 2009) to its twenty-third session (June 30, 2010 to July 2, 2010), the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT) considered a number of working documents dealing with grounds for refusal of all types of marks (see documents SCT/21/2, SCT/22/2, and SCT/23/2). 2. The documents were based on information provided by SCT Members in their replies to the WIPO Questionnaire on Trademark Law and Practice, as presented in WIPO document WIPO/STrad/INF/1 (hereinafter referred to as “the Questionnaire”), and in WIPO documents SCT/16/4, SCT/17/4 and SCT/18/3 referring to trademark opposition procedures. 3. In addition, the following SCT Members provided written submissions on specific aspects of their law and practice concerning grounds for refusal: Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Viet Nam, and the European Union (EU) (27). The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) also submitted its contribution. The full text of the submissions is posted on the SCT Electronic Forum webpage. WIPO/STrad/INF/5 page 2 4.
[Show full text]