Institute for Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina implements CP8

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Institute for Intellectual Property (IIP) of Bosnia and Herzegovina prepared a joint practice paper in relation to use of a trade mark in a form differing from the one registered.

The practice paper has been prepared in line with the Common Communication resulting of the Common Practice (CP8) developed by the European Union Intellectual Property Network (EUIPN). Tailor-made to the specificities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the practice paper provides an overview of the Office’ quality standards for assessing three-dimensional marks and provides a clear and comprehensive explanation of the principles on which the practice is based. It will be generally applied by the SOIP and the intellectual property (IP) offices of the EUIPN.

The practice paper is a tangible result of extensive cooperation efforts led by the EUIPO to collaborate with non-EU member states on harmonizing and converging IP practices in order to strengthen IP alliances. The EUIPO together with the IP offices of the EU member states actively assists potential candidates for EU membership with approximation of IP practices through the EUIPN in a Team Europe approach.

The practice paper aims to increase clarity, transparency, legal certainty and predictability for the benefit of the users and examiners.

The practice paper can be found below in Bosnian, Croatian, English, and Serbian. The document is divided into two parts: the first summarising the practice principles’ key messages and statements; the second providing a clear and comprehensive explanation of these principles. It also serves as a reference for all interested parties.

The IIP has also published the following practice papers to add clarity to examination practices:

CP3 – Distinctiveness – Figurative marks containing descriptive / non-distinctive words (BS/HR/EN/SR)

CP4 – Scope of protection of black and white marks (BS/HR/EN/SR)

CP5 - Relative Grounds – Likelihood of Confusion (Impact of Non-Distinctive/Weak Components) (BS/HR/EN/SR)