As you will all now be aware, the UK has voted to leave the EU.
How will this decision affect existing and future European Trade Marks (EUTMs)?
We can only speculate at this early stage what impact Brexit will have on EUTMs but in the immediate future at least, EUTM rights will continue to be extended to the UK. It is anticipated that transitional provisions will be put in place allowing existing EUTMs to be converted into national trademarks to preserve protections in the UK but after the date of withdrawal, new EUTMs are not expected to cover the UK and trade mark owners who want protection in the UK will need to file national applications in the UK.
At least for now, it would appear that there is no immediate danger of loss of trade mark rights in the UK as a result of Brexit. We will however continue to monitor the situation and keep you posted on further developments.
Please contact us if you have any questions.