EU Marks a Quarter of a Century

This book looks back on 25 years of pioneering EU trade mark practice, through the eyes of various experts from all over Europe.

EU trade mark law – and, by extension, the trade mark laws of the EU Member States – has substantially evolved during these past 25 years. The success of the EU trade mark resulted in a shift from a ‘bottom-up’ harmonization of national trade mark systems to a ‘top-down’ approach based on the accurate EU trade mark system.

The first two contributions focus on the European Union Intellectual Property Office’s convergence efforts with the national trade mark offices and the impact of EU case law on national trade mark practice, respectively. The evolution of the EU trade mark system is further addressed through a wide variety of subjects of substantive law. The final chapter offers an analysis of the impact of Brexit on the EU trade mark systems.