Feb 14, 2019 (Newsletter Issue 2/19)Change of Name to North MacedoniaOn January 25, 2019, the Greek Parliament ratified the Prespes agreement between Macedonia and Greece, ending the nearly three-decade long dispute between the two countries over the name “Macedonia”.
The official constitutional name of the Republic of Macedonia will change to “Republic of North Macedonia”, while the country’s short name will be “North Macedonia”.
The agreement regulates the change of the country code and will impact the area of intellectual property once the new name takes effect.
For more information on this and on new renewal fees, please check hereSource: www.petosevic.com Apr 01, 2011 (Newsletter Issue 6/11)
Law on Industrial Property Amended
The Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia ratified amendments to the Law on Industrial Property, which came into force on March 5th, 2011.
The primary reason for amending the Law on Industrial Property is that, as of recently, the Law on Quality of Agricultural Products regulates Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) for agricultural and dairy products. Thus, the provisions for protection of such products had to be removed from the Law on Industrial Property; other products with PDO and PGI remain under the scope of the Law on Industrial Property.
Another significant change concerns the State Market Inspectorate’s enforcement activities. The Law on Industrial Property now obligates the State Market inspectors to temporarily detain counterfeit goods placed on the market, while the old law did not clearly specify what was to be done with the counterfeits on the market. Instead of detaining the goods, the inspectors often issued orders for these goods to be removed from the market, but the goods were not destroyed and their fate was unknown.
The amendments introduce the possibility of out-of-court settlement.
Source: PETOŠEVIĆ, Macedonia
Mar 15, 2011 (Newsletter Issue 5/11)
Translation of Nice Classification (9th)
The Macedonian State Office of Industrial Property (IPO) has published the official Macedonian translation of the Ninth Edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services under the Nice Agreement.
The Macedonian translation is available in print at the Macedonian IPO and in the PDF format on the IPO website.
Source: PETOŠEVIĆ, Macedonia
Aug 01, 2010 (Newsletter Issue 13/10)
Lisbon Agreement Ratified
The Macedonian Assembly ratified the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration at its session on May 31st, 2010.
The agreement will enter into force three months after the date on which the WIPO Director General is notified of the ratification.
Source: www.petosevic.com
Apr 14, 2010 (Newsletter Issue 9/10)Accession to the Vienna AgreementThe Republic of Macedonia ratified the Vienna Agreement on the International Classification of the Figurative Elements of Trademarks.
The said Agreement will enter into force, with respect to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on May 26, 2010.
Source: www.wipo.int Dec 15, 2009 (Newsletter Issue 5/09)
State Office of Industrial Property Publishes New Fees
On October 30, the State Office of Industrial Property of the Republic of Macedonia published new fees.
The changes to the fees are minor. All service fees remain the same. The only change is that unemployed individuals, students, retirees, and disabled persons do not have to pay for searches of the Patent Database. Also, all physical persons that apply for a patent in the area of ecology or protection of the environment can search the Patent Database for free.
In addition, if the patent application is submitted electronically, the granting and printing fees are reduced by 30 percent.
The Macedonian Government approved the fees on September 22, 2009.
Source: www.petosevic.com
Legal basis is the Industrial Property Law of 17.02.2009 (as third regulation), entered into force on 25.02.2009. - “Official Journal of R. N. Macedonia”No. 21/2009, and its amendments published in Official Journal of R. N. Macedonia No. 24/2011, 12/2014, 41/2014, 152/2015, 53/2016, 83/2018 and 31/2020.
Macedonia is a member of the Paris Convention, Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol and of the Singapore Treaty.
Trademark protection is obtained by registration. It can also be acquired by sufficient public recognition.
Trademarks which were protected in former Yugoslavia are protected in Macedonia only if they were re-registered within the period stipulated.
Nice classification, 11th edition
Registrable as a trademark are all distinctive and graphically representable signs, such as words, names, acronyms, letters, numbers, pictures, drawings, combinations or shades of colours, three-dimensional forms, the three-dimensional form of a good or its packaging and any combination of the mentioned signs.
The application is filed at the State Office of Industrial Property (SOIP).
Multiple-class applications are possible.
Foreign applicants need a local agent.
A non-legalized power of attorney is sufficient.
Foreign applicants do not need a domestic registration.
The application process includes a formal examination and an examination of distinctiveness, but no search for prior trademarks.
The processing time from first filing to first office action is approx. 2 to 6 months.
The processing time from first filing to registration is approx. 9 to 12 months.
After registration, the trademark is published in the Gazette “Glasnik”.
National:The opposition period is 90 days after the publication of the trademark application in the Official Gazette of the SOIP.
There is no possibility for extension of the time limit for filing opposition. If no opposition is filed, the application will be granted.
Details regarding the
Opposition Period against designation of IR Mark are available in our publication on this topic
here
A trademark registration is valid for 10 years from date of application.
The registration is renewable for periods of 10 years.
Practical details on grace periods for trademark renewals are available in our publication
herePractical details on trademark use requirements are available in our publication
hereThe official fee for filing a trademark application is MKD 600 for up to three classes and MKD 100 for each additional class. The publication fee, paid along with the application, is MKD 750 for up to three classes and MKD 180 for each additional class.
The registration fee is MKD 4000 for up to three classes and MKD 1000 for every additional class.
The publication which needs to be paid with the registration fee is MKD 380 for up to three classes and MKD 180 for each additional class and MKD 380 for the certificate.
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Practical details on trademark licensing are available in our publication
hereOnline you can see a limited part of information about this country.
More in-depth details are available for the following aspects:
General Trademark Regulations
Trademark Use Requirements
Grace Period for Trademark Renewal
Trademark Licensing
If you like to purchase all available information for this country, click the order button.
The total price is
49.00 EUR. A PDF-Download will be sent to you electronically.
Jun 28, 2023
Law Firm Joanidis, Skopje, North Macedonia