INTA Continues Outreach in Europe: Key Developments to Watch For

Published: November 15, 2019

INTA is continuing to engage with key governmental and regulatory bodies in the European region. Here, the Association provides an overview of these activities along with information on key developments in Europe to watch for in the coming months.

Next in Europe: Important Dates to Keep in Mind

  • November 19‒21: Management Board and Budget Committee meeting of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)-Alicante, Spain
  • November 29: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade to launch its study on the damaging impact of counterfeiting on the UK economy-London, UK
  • November 25‒29: European Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights working and expert groups meetings-Brussels, Belgium
  • December 1: Expected official start of the mandate of the new European Commission (EC) (2019‒2024)
  • December 1: Official start of the mandate of the new President of the European Council Charles Michel (Liberal “Renew Europe,” Belgium)
  • December 5: INTA educational roundtable in Paris, France, on “Resolving IP Disputes Through Mediation”
  • December 10: INTA, ABAC-BAAN, and ACACAP joint policy dialogue “Is It Safe?” – The harmful impact of counterfeiting for the health and safety of EU consumers-Brussels, Belgium
  • January 31, 2020: Brexit date
  • February 17‒18, 2020: INTA Europe Conference in Madrid, Spain, on “Brands, Sports, and eSports: A Brand (R)evolution”

Recent Activities in Europe

  • November 14: Another educational and networking event for young practitioners took place, this time in Warsaw, Poland.
  • November 5: INTA Chief Representative Officer-Europe Hélène Nicora and INTA Policy Officer‒Europe Hadrien Valembois met with International Criminal Court (ICC) EU new Head of EU Affairs Tom Vöge and ICC Belgium Secretary-General Mathieu Maes to discuss areas of common priorities on IP and counterfeiting issues.
  • October 30: Ms. Nicora met with Lars Vogt, Senior Policy Officer at Toy Industries of Europe, to exchange on potential collaboration, including raising awareness on counterfeiting/safety issues, the EU trade agenda, and designs.
  • October 22‒24: INTA Policy Officer-Europe Carolina Oliveira joined Bénédicte Linden (LINDEN Legal Consulting, Belgium), chair of the EUIPO Subcommittee of the Trademark Office Practices Committee (TOPC), and Michael Hawkins (Noerr Alicante, Spain), member of the Designs Committee, to represent INTA at, respectively, the EUIPO 22nd Liaison Meeting on Trade Marks and the 18th Liaison Meeting on Designs, in Alicante, Spain. At the meetings, the EUIPO provided an overview of the development of the draft 2020‒2025 Strategic Plan and the new European Cooperation Projects (ECPs), and updated the attending European IP offices and user associations on, among other topics, ongoing ECPs, the implementation of the trademark legislative reform, and the EUIPO’s 2019 Guidelines. The Liaison Meeting on Designs featured a comprehensive presentation by the EC on the review of the EU legislation on designs, including the results of the public consultation and the targeted schedule of next steps.
  • October 22: Ms. Nicora, INTA Anticounterfeiting Manager Maysa Razavi, and Mr. Valembois met with the IP unit of the EC’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) to discuss the memorandums of understanding in the EU (online and advertising) and the U.S. president’s memo on combating counterfeiting from April 2019, as well as to present the INTA Brands Manifesto.
  • October 22: Ms. Razavi and Mr. Valembois met with the IP unit of the EC’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE) to discuss EU-China relations, notably on the Chinese e-commerce law and bad faith registrations.
  • October 22: Ms. Nicora, Ms. Razavi, and Mr. Valembois met with the IP unit of the EC’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) to discuss the EU 2019 report on customs infringements of IP rights, Brexit, information sharing, and to present our Brands Manifesto.
  • October 22: Ms. Nicora met with Giuseppe Marletta, Managing Director, Europe, of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Brussels, to discuss areas of potential cooperation.
  • October 21: Ms. Oliveira attended the 16th Annual INTA-EUIPO Training Day on The Use and Admissibility of Internet-Related Evidence, at the EUIPO in Alicante, Spain. At this training event, speakers provided an introduction to online marketing and the legal implications of online advertising, followed by a lively exchange of views and discussion with EUIPO examiners. The Annual INTA-EUIPO Training Day was organized by the EUIPO Subcommittee of the Government Officials Training Committee and will, starting next year, be handled by the EUIPO Subcommittee of the TOPC.
  • October 11: INTA’s Young Practitioners Committee held a panel and reception in Oslo, Norway. A report of the event can be found in the November 1 issue of the INTA Bulletin here.

Get your ticket today!

Be sure to secure your ticket to this game-changing Conference designed for sport and esport brand custodians.

Find out more here.

INTA’s Europe Representative Office, based in Brussels, Belgium, represents the Association’s 1,800+ members across Europe (including those in EU and non-EU member states, and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States). Working in collaboration with staff at INTA’s headquarters in New York City, the Europe Representative Office leads the Association’s policy, membership, marketing, and communications initiatives throughout the region. To learn more about INTA’s activities in Europe, please contact INTA Chief Representative Officer-Europe Hélène Nicora at [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at @INTABrussels.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of items in the INTA Bulletin, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest.

© 2019 International Trademark Association