On Wednesday, October 12, the President and experts of the Boards of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) came to Riga on a working visit. The purpose of the visit was to share experiences with local professionals in the field of intellectual property (IP) and to gain a broader insight into the activities and recent developments of the Latvian Patent Office and the Industrial Property Board of Appeal.
In a constructive dialogue with the Director of the Patent Office Agris Batalauskis, the President of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal João Negrão analyzed the progress of cooperation projects between the two institutions and outlined the future directions of development.
At an extremely informative seminar, the EUIPO experts provided Latvian patent attorneys, representatives of trademark applicants, and specialists of the Patent Office and the Industrial Property Board of Appeal, with an extensive overview of the recent developments in the European Union's IP rights regulation, also informing about the role of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal in the consistent application of the regulation.
In his presentation, João Negrão outlined the vision and mission of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal, emphasizing the possibilities of alternative dispute resolution, namely an amicable settlement as a result of the negotiation process. He also emphasized the contribution of the Industrial Property Board of Appeal to the common IP development strategy of the European Union.
The Chairperson of the EUIPO Fifth Board of Appeal Virginia Melgar analyzed practical examples of appeal case law, paying special attention to color marks, bottle shapes and other shape marks, geographical names and geographical indications that could conflict with public order or generally accepted moral principles. Speaking about the relative grounds for refusal of trade mark registration, Ms. Melgar discussed the similarity of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, the role of weak elements in assessing the likelihood of confusion between marks, and the requirements for proof of use of the trade mark.
The contribution of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal to the application of the EU trade mark and design law, and alternative dispute resolution issues were presented by Project Manager Janka Budovičová and Chairperson of the EUIPO Second Board of Appeal Sven Stürmann respectively.
During the meeting with the Chairperson of the Industrial Property Board of Appeal Dace Liberte, Director of the Development and International Cooperation Department Terēze Vētra, and industrial property experts of the Patent Office, the delegation of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal were informed about the recent developments in IP law in Latvia, welcomed the cooperation activities implemented this year, and agreed on the future development, exchange and educational projects.