The EUIPO ECP7 TMD Implementation Training project has organised, in collaboration with National IPOs and User Associations, including ECTA, a series of live webinars which will cover topics related to the implementation of the Trade Mark Directive and national practice in each country.

The 2024 series of webinars will be broadcasted via Zoom Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 17 October to 14 December, and will be done in national language with simultaneous interpretation into English. Each presentation will take approximately 20 minutes plus 10 extra minutes for Q&A.

In particular, the webinar organised with ECTA will be on 14 November (10.00-11.00 CET). During this session, Riina Pärn (Pärn & Partners, Estonia), a long-standing ECTA member, will discuss recent changes in trade mark application procedures and opposition procedure in the Baltic Countries.

To find out more about the scheduled webinars and register for those you are interested in, please click here.

Register for the ECTA workshop ‘Make Up or Break Up? AI and IP: The Future of Our Profession’ in beautiful Seville (onsite only) on 11 October 2024 (16.00-18.00)!

With the rise of AI, significant changes are expected in how IP professionals operate. Join us to hear from experts how IP legal teams can successfully navigate this evolving ecosystem and understand the impact of AI in the IP world. More information on the programme will be shared in the coming weeks.

The participation fees are as follows:

• 30,00 € (excl. VAT) for members who are not registered for the ECTA Autumn Meeting;
• 50,00 € (excl. VAT) for non-members;
• Free of charge for officials, full-time students, full-time professors.

A certificate of attendance will be sent upon request after the event.

(If you are a Supervisory Board or Committee member registered for the ECTA Autumn Meeting, you do not need to register separately for the workshop as it is included in the event!)

As per Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2399, starting 3 October 2024, right holders and their representatives must submit electronic Applications for Action (eAFAs) to customs exclusively through the IP Enforcement Portal (IPEP) or national portals in Germany, Italy, and Spain.

These portals will be the sole platforms for filing and managing (amending, extending, or withdrawing) AFAs. Right holders who haven’t transitioned to these portals should do so promptly, as the acceptance of paper AFAs by Member States will soon end.

Legal representatives can access IPEP via a ‘legal representative’ account, linked to a rights holder's account. They can also manage multiple rights holder accounts (detailed instructions for legal representatives are available here).

To find out more, please read here.

Yesterday, ECTA took part in a number of in-person meetings with relevant DGs of the European Commission (DG GROW, DG TRADE, DG AGRI), to discuss important topics on the IP agenda in Europe at this moment, such as:

• EU Patent Package
• Ongoing trade negotiations, agreements, dialogues and cooperation projects;
• IP future plans and initiatives in relation to SMEs;
• New Regulation EU 2024/1143 for agri GIs and other initiatives affecting GIs;
• and many other topics of interest to our members and related to ongoing projects within various ECTA Committees.

The meetings were attended by ECTA President Carina Gommers; First Vice-President Paola Ruggiero; Second Vice-President Benjamin Fontaine; Secretary General Julien Scicluna; Treasurer Jordi Güell; Head of Legal Affairs Anna Ostanina.