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ECTA in Brussels Last Week: Meetings with the European Commission & Board of Directors Meeting

Last week, ECTA met in Brussels with the European Commission (DG GROW and DG TRADE) to exchange views and discuss updates on a range of important topics.Discussions included developments in the area of IP valuation and IP-backed financing, as well as updates on the EU Design Reform and the implementation of the EU Trade Marks Directive. Other topics included IP enforcement and the practical roll-out of the new CIGIs system.On the trade side, the exchange focused on ongoing negotiations and dialogues with third countries, particularly China, Mercosur and Türkiye, as well as initial exchanges on ECTA’s recent contribution to the Third Country Report. The meetings also touched on other topics of interest to our members in connection with projects across various ECTA Committees.The ECTA delegation included Paola Ruggiero (President), Benjamin Fontaine (1st Vice President), Micaela Schork (2nd Vice President), Carina Gommers (Secretary General), Krystyna Zurawska (Treasurer), Alessia Tozzi (Legal and Communications Coordinator), Hande Hancar (Chair of the International Trade Committee).We are grateful to the Commission representatives for the open and constructive dialogue, as such meetings help ensure that the perspectives and practical experiences of IP professionals are reflected in ongoing policy developments.In addition, last week, the ECTA Board of Directors and Secretariat also met in Brussels to fine-tune details for the upcoming ECTA Autumn Meeting in Porto, continue preparations for the ECTA 45th Annual Conference in Sorrento, and discuss other strategic priorities for the months ahead.

EUIPO extends time limits for parties in Ukraine

We wish to inform ECTA members that the EUIPO has issued Decision No EX-26-16, extending time limits for parties having their residence or registered office in Ukraine.All time limits expiring between 20 September 2026 and 21 March 2027 (inclusive) are extended until 22 March 2027.

EUIPO Launches New Short IP Training Sessions

We wish to inform ECTA members that, in addition to the EUIPO Trade Mark and Design Education Programme (ETMD EP) for practitioners, with its next edition starting soon in October, the EUIPO has introduced a new series of short IP training sessions, to provide foundational IP knowledge to a broader audience.The sessions will be held online, free of charge, and open to all interested participants, with a maximum capacity of 300 attendees per session. The first session will take place on 17 September 2026.Participants who successfully attend all sessions over two consecutive years will receive a certificate of completion.Further information is available here.-----ECTA is actively involved in the project, with various members serving on the Examination Boards of both the practitioners’ and paralegals’ programmes, as well as on the ETMD EP Advisory Committee.

Multi-Factor Authentication to be introduced for several EUIPN tools on 12 September (mandatory from 30 November)

We wish to inform ECTA members that Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) will soon be introduced for several EUIPN tools (EUIPN Portal, TMview and DesignView) as part of EUIPO’s efforts to strengthen account security and user protection.In addition to the existing username and password, users will be required to also enter a 6-digit code generated by an authenticator app, such as Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator.MFA will be available on an optional basis from 12 September and will become mandatory from 30 November 2026. We therefore advise our members to activate it in advance, before it becomes mandatory.Please note that MFA is linked to each individual user account. Users should therefore access EUIPN tools using their own individual account, rather than shared credentials or common mailboxes.More information and FAQs are available here.For questions or if users need support, please contact customercare@euipo.europa.eu and/or +34 965 13 9100

Save the Date - All Upcoming ECTA Events

This update is to help ECTA members and IP community at large stay informed about upcoming ECTA events and plan ahead. Registration links and further details will be shared via direct email communication in due course.If you are not a member and would like to receive updates on ECTA events and activities, please email ecta@ecta.org to be included on our mailing list.8 September 2026ECTA UPC Coffee by Patent Committee📍 Online Open to members only (the access link will always be available on the ECTA private site as no reminders will be sent)15-17 October 2026ECTA Autumn Meeting 📍 Porto, Portugal Open to ECTA Supervisory Board and Committee members only / Registration is open (link to register in the private site under ECTA Committee Meetings 2026)16 October 2026ECTA Workshop ‘Self-defence class: Protecting one's name, image and likeness’ 📍 Porto, Portugal Open to all - Register here (Supervisory Board and Committee members already registered for the Autumn Meeting do not need to register separately for the workshop)10 November 2026ECTA UPC Coffee by Patent Committee📍 Online Open to members only (the access link will always be available on the ECTA private site as no reminders will be sent)12 January 2027ECTA UPC Coffee by Patent Committee📍 Online Open to members only (the access link will always be available on the ECTA private site as no reminders will be sent)25 February 2027ECTA Round Table📍 Alicante, SpainMore information will follow.9 March 2027ECTA UPC Coffee by Patent Committee📍 Online Open to members only (the access link will always be available on the ECTA private site as no reminders will be sent)Spring 2027ECTA ®ETREAT📍 The Hague, The Netherlands In collaboration with Benelux Office for Intellectual PropertyMore information will follow.11 May 2027ECTA UPC Coffee by Patent Committee📍 Online Open to members only (the access link will always be available on the ECTA private site as no reminders will be sent)16-19 June 2025ECTA 45th Annual Conference "La Dolce IP" 📍 Sorrento (South of Italy)Registration open in November.13 July 2027ECTA UPC Coffee by Patent Committee📍 Online Open to members only (the access link will always be available on the ECTA private site as no reminders will be sent)