Brexit Questions? Ask EU, UK Officials at Corporate Update

The four-and-a-half year Brexit saga ended on December 31, 2020, when the United Kingdom officially and entirely exited from the European Union.

Long feared, the “no deal” exit scenario did not occur as both parties managed to secure, at the last minute on December 24, a Trade and Cooperation Agreement, a 1,449-page treaty governing the “future relationship” between the two parties.

INTA is hosting a Corporate Update video call on March 3 to discuss what the outcome means to you and your brands. The live Update, titled “Brexit 2.0: Now That Brexit Is There, the EUIPO & UKIPO Tells You What You Should Know!,” is open to existing and prospective corporate INTA members. The video call will be recorded and made available on-demand to all members soon after the live event.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement includes a section of 57 articles focused entirely on intellectual property (IP), under Heading One, Trade, Chapter V in Part II (p. 139).

INTA’s Brexit Task Force is currently preparing a detailed analysis of the Agreement, concentrating specifically on the IP provisions. This analysis will be featured in an upcoming article.

In the meantime, IP professionals are reflecting on the Agreement and have questions about specific IP issues that it covers (or does not cover).

In response, INTA will be hosting the Corporate Update to discuss pending IP rights questions and provide more clarity on what Brexit will mean for IP professionals and companies. The Update will feature representatives from the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO).

Issues to be covered include: Applications for Actions (AFAs – Customs), copyrights, .eu domain names, exhaustion of rights, infringement actions initiated before the end of transition period and pending injunctions, International Registration, licenses and security interests relating to EU rights, new filings, opposition and invalidation applications, patents, pending rights/grace period, registered EU rights, right of representation, and use requirement/reputation.

“Brexit 2.0: Now that Brexit Is There, the EUIPO & UKIPO Tells You What You Should Know!” will be held free of charge on March 3, from 9:00 am to 10:00 am (EST). Register here.

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