DESCRIPTION 

The Harmonization Committee’s activities include the conducting of surveys in all EU member states on the national law and practice with regard to legal issues of specific current interest. Surveys conducted by the Harmonization Committee e.g. dealt with

• trade mark use in opposition and cancellation proceedings
• trade mark issues related to geographic indications
• trade marks filed in bad faith
• protection of marks with a reputation
• legal enforcement of security interests of trade marks
• conversion issues or
• comparison of the national laws as far as the CTMR explicitly provides for the application of national law.

The Harmonization Committee thereby creates a knowledge base which is useful to propose best practises, compare and benchmark practises and helps other committees to prepare position papers, proposals and replies to questions submitted by European Boards and Agencies. 

MISSION STATEMENT 

The Mission of the Harmonization Committee is the monitoring of the harmonisation of EU trade mark law, including the national trade mark law practices according to the guidelines developed by the CJEU decisions. The Committee examines the differences of the various national trade mark laws and practices, also with regard to the non-harmonised points of law and legal procedures. One of the Committee’s aims is to foster the awareness of the existing differences and to ultimately increase the harmonisation of the legal practices of the Member States.