Other Intellectual Property

Other Intellectual Property Rights

EU Design Registrations

After 11pm on 31^st December 2020, all granted EU Design registrations (‘EUDR’) will automatically have a corresponding UK national design registration created, thus preserving the priority, filing, seniority and renewal dates of the EUDR from which they derive.

Any EU trade mark design application (‘EUDA’) still pending on 31^st December 2020, including those which have been accepted but have not yet been formally registered, will need to be re-filed in the UK if protection there is required.  If re-filed within 9 months (i.e. by 30^th  September 2021), the filing date and priority of the corresponding EU application will be maintained.

Patents

Protection of patents is largely unaffected by BREXIT.

Copyright

The UK is party to the Berne Convention which governs international copyright and therefore copyright protection will remain unchanged in the immediate aftermath of BREXIT.

.eu Domains  

Proprietors based in the UK who have any .eu domains, should seek representation from an attorney based in one of the EU member states. The reason is that after 31^st December 2020, to hold a .eu domain one must be a citizen of or resident in the EU.

EURid will notify holders of .eu domains with a UK address of the need to update address details. In default of this, .eu domains will be withdrawn on 1^st January 2021 and subsequently revoked be on 1^st January 2022 thus releasing them for registration and use by third parties.

How can we help?

MacLachlan & Donaldson / Ansons will be able to continue to handle the full range of actions and disputes before the EUIPO.  If you require assistance in any of the services mentioned in this article or require advice on separate issues before the transition period, please feel free to contact us on mail@maclachlan.ie or info@ansons.co.uk to evaluate your current position in relation to your IP protection before it’s too late.