注册德国商标的概要与注册程序详解

德国商标概要：

　　1、1990年10月3日，原东、西德(即民主德国和联邦德国)实现了统一。根据同一天生效的有关德国商标和领土延伸到的过去国际注册商标的统一条约第二部分的规定，自该条约生效后提交的商标申请应依照原西德的法律注册并在整个德国生效。1990年10月3日之前原东西德的商标申请或领土延伸到西德的国际注册仍由原机关分别处理并在原东西德的领土上分别保持效力而不相互延伸。

　　1991年9月2日通过并于当年年底生效的另一个法案规定，在1990年10月3日之前在原东西德取得并存在的所有工业产权自动延伸到整个德国。这一延伸不要求权利人提出自动发生。至此，原东德的商标法不复存在而完全由西德法律取而代之。

　　2、现行的德国商标法最初制订于1968年，经1979年和1987年两次修改。1979年修改时增加了保护服务商标的内容。商标法的实施细则是1986年修改生效的。

　　新的德国商标法于1995年1月1日生效。修改后的商标法包括;商标必须在审查后立即注册。注册商标将给予公告并且在3个月内可以对该注册商标提出异议。这条重要的法规使得商标所有人即使在商标尚处于被异议时也可以对侵权行为起诉。新的商标法还包括保护理标志的施行法规。

　　3、德国法律规定商标权的取得基于注册。在德国，商品商标、服务商标和集体商标可以依法申请注册。

　　4、德国采用的是商标注册用商品和服务的国际分类。但是，申请注册商标时，一个申请可以包括多个类别的商品或服务，只是申请人应当按类别的多少缴纳规费。

　　5、目前，德国是《保护工业产权巴黎公约》、《商标国际注册马德里协定》、《商标注册用商品和服务国际分类尼斯协定》和世界知识产权组织的成员国。德国于1995年12月20日认可《马德里协定议定书》，该议定书于1996年4月1日在德国境内生效。

　　6、 国家英文缩写：DE。

　　申请人主体资格：任何自然人或法人可申请注册商标。在德国没有营业所的申请人只要在其设有营业所的国家接受德国的商标并且予以和其本国的商标相同的待遇时才能依法在德国申请商标保护。另外，德国专利局还可以要求外国的设备申请人提供在其设有营业所的国家已经提出并取得设备注册的证明。但这一要求将基于对等原则。除了国际公约中另有规定的外，德国不允许核准注册未达到法定要求的商标申请。

　　申请所需文件：

　　1、商标图样。

　　2、商品和服务清单。

　　3、外国申请人还需提供原属国商标注册证副本，对给予德国公民特权的互惠国家公民无需认证。

　　官方回执时间： 4周

　　注册所需时间：4-9个月

　　德国商标有效期：10年，自注册之日起计算。

　　商标异议期限：30天

　　连续不使用撤销：2年

　　官方使用语言：英语

　　德国商标的续展：续展申请可以在期满后2个月内提交，在该期限后若还未缴纳规费，将发出付费处罚的最后通牒;若在期满6个月内或最后通牒下达1个月后还未缴纳续展费用的，注册将被撤销。

　　德国注册程序详解：

　　专利局将对申请文件的形式以及商标是否有注册性进行严格的审查。但不对该商标之前是否存在相同或类似的注册或申请进行审查。对商标的注册性进行审查后，对于有注册性的商标予以刊登商标公告。在公告期3个月内，任何相同或相似商标的主持人或在先申请人都可以提出异议，由专利局作出裁定。

以下情况将不予注册：1.申请注册的商标与在先注册商标相同，或指定的商品或服务相同。2. 申请注册的商标与在先注册商标相同或近似，或指定的商品或服务相同或近似而造成公众联想的。3.与在先注册的驰名商标在不同类别商品或服务上申请相同或近似商标，这种注册商标没有合法理由的不公平使用将会给驰名商标的显著性和知名度带来损害的。

German trademark outline :

1. On October 3, 1990, the former East and West Germany ( Democratic Germany and Federal Germany ) achieved unity. According to the provisions of the second part of the United Treaty on German Trademarks and Territories Extension to the Past International Registered Trademarks which came into force on the same day, the trademark application submitted after the entry into force of the Treaty shall be registered in accordance with the laws of the former West Germany and shall enter into force throughout Germany. The trademark application or international registration of the Territory extending to West Germany prior to 3 October 1990 remains separately processed by the original authorities and remains in force on the Territory without mutual extension.

Another bill passed on September 2, 1991 and entered into force at the end of that year stipulated that all industrial property rights acquired and existing in East and West Germany before October 3, 1990 were automatically extended to the whole of Germany. This extension does not require the obligee to propose automatic occurrence. So far, the original East German trademark law no longer exists and completely replaced by the West German law.

 

2. The current German trademark law was first formulated in 1968, and was amended twice in 1979 and 1987. In 1979, the content of protecting service trademarks was added. The implementation details of the Trademark Law came into force in 1986.

The new German Trademark Law came into force on January 1, 1995. The revised trademark law includes : Trademark must be registered immediately after examination. The registered trademark will be announced and can be challenged within 3 months. This important regulation enables trademark owners to sue for infringement even if the trademark is still under objection.

3. German law provides that the acquisition of trademark rights is based on registration. In Germany, commodity trademarks, service trademarks and collective trademarks can apply for registration according to law.

 

( 4 ) Germany adopts the international classification of goods and services for trademark registration. However, when applying for a registered trademark, an application may include multiple categories of goods or services, but the applicant should pay the fees according to the number of categories.

 

5. Germany is currently a member of the Paris Convention on the Protection of Industrial Property Rights, the Madrid Agreement on International Registration of Trademarks, the Niss Agreement on the International Classification of Goods and Services for Trademark Registration and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Germany ratified the Madrid Protocol on December 20, 1995, which entered into force in Germany on April 1, 1996.

 

6. National English abbreviation : DE.

Qualification of applicant : Any natural or legal person may apply for a registered trademark. Applicants who do not have a place of business in Germany can apply for trademark protection in Germany according to law only if they accept German trademarks in the country where they have a place of business and give the same treatment as their own trademarks. In addition, the German Patent Office can also require foreign equipment applicants to provide a certificate that has been submitted and obtained equipment registration in the country where they have a business place. But this requirement will be based on the principle of reciprocity. Except as otherwise provided in international conventions, Germany is not permitted to approve applications for registration of trademarks that do not meet the statutory requirements.

Documents required for application :

1. Trademark pattern.

2. List of goods and services.

3. Foreign applicants are also required to provide a copy of the trademark registration certificate of the State of origin, which is not required to certify reciprocal national citizens who grant German citizenship privileges.

Official callback time : 4 weeks

Time required for registration : 4-9 months

Validity period of German trademark : 10 years, calculated from the date of registration.

Trademark objection period : 30 days

Continuous non-use cancellation : 2 years

Official language : English

 

The renewal of the German trademark : the application for renewal can be submitted within 2 months after the expiration of the period. If the fee has not been paid after that period, an ultimatum for payment punishment will be issued. If the renewal fee has not been paid within 6 months or one month after the ultimatum, the registration will be revoked.

 

Details of German registration procedure :

The Patent Office will conduct a rigorous review of the form of application documents and the registration of trademarks. However, the existence of the same or similar registration or application prior to the trademark is not examined. After examining the registration of trademarks, trademark announcements are published for registered trademarks. Within three months of the announcement period, any moderator or prior applicant of the same or similar trademark may raise objections and the Patent Office shall decide.

The following cases will not be registered : 1.The trademark applied for registration is the same as the prior registered trademark, or the specified goods or services are the same. 2.The trademark applied for registration is the same or similar to the prior registered trademark, or the specified goods or services are the same or similar to cause public association. 3. The unfair use of a registered trademark without lawful grounds would damage the visibility and visibility of a well-known trademark if it applies for the same or similar trademark in different categories of goods or services as a well-known trademark previously registered.