Croatia implements the EU standard jurisdiction system:

1. Administrative supervisory authority

Objection Office of the Croatian Intellectual Property Office (DZIV):Responsible for formal review, evidence review, and preliminary ruling

Industrial Property Committee:Composed of 2 legal experts and 1 technical expert, handling complex case reviews

2. Judicial Authority

Those who are dissatisfied with the administrative ruling can appeal to the Zagreb Commercial Court

The final appeal can be made to the EU Law Chamber of the Supreme Court of Croatia (a specialized intellectual property panel)

Special requirements for agents:

Applicants within the European Union may entrust an EU registered lawyer to represent them

Non EU applicants must submit their applications through members of the Croatian Association of Patent Agents (HUP)

Non Croatian language documents require authentication and translation by the Ministry of Justice (Chinese documents require dual authentication: Embassy of Croatia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China)

Croatia implements EU unification objection period:

1. Official announcement period

After passing the substantive examination, the trademark will be simultaneously announced on the DZIV official website and the EU Trademark Gazette for 3 months

Objection applications must be submitted electronically before the announcement deadline of 24:00 (CET)

2. Supplementary Objection Period

Within 5 years after trademark registration, supplementary objections can be filed based on malicious registration (with an additional fee of 1500 kunas)

3. Balkan Special Rules:

Applicants from the former Yugoslavia region can apply for a 15 day grace period (proof of regional chamber of commerce is required)

The electronic submission system (e-Zig) supports the conversion between Cyrillic and Latin letters

According to Articles 5, 6, and 8 of the Croatian Trademark Law and EU Directive 2015/2436, the statutory grounds for objection include:

（1） Absolutely prohibited reasons

1. Lack of significance

Only composed of generic names or descriptive terms of the product (such as Jadransko Adriatic Sea)

Unauthorized use of EU geographical indications (such as Croatian Dalmatian ham)

2. Violation of public order

Contains national badges, war memorials, or ethnic discrimination content (newly added in 2021)

（2） Relative prohibited reasons

1. Prior conflict of rights

Confusion with registered trademarks in Croatia/EU (Nice Classification 12th edition)

Copy a trademark that enjoys reputation in the European Union (Adriatic market research report is required)

2. Traditional identification rights

Infringement of traditional Croatian product names (such as Licitar Hearts gingerbread)

3. Domain name registration

Registering someone else's trademark as a. hr domain (subject to the 2022 Domain Name Dispute Resolution Rules)

（3） Special protection reasons

1. Cultural heritage identification

Abuse of Croatian cultural heritage elements certified by UNESCO (such as Klapa polyphonic choir)

2. Tourism logo infringement

Unauthorized use of tourism promotional slogans registered with the Croatian Tourism Authority (HTZ)

Stage 1: Electronic submission (0-7 days)

Submit a statement of objection (in Croatian) through the DZIV electronic platform (e-Zig)

Please attach:

Proof of prior rights authenticated by The Hague

Evidence of actual use of the trademark (including invoice with Croatian OIB tax number)

Adriatic Sea Market Analysis Report (when applicable)

Payment fee: 2500 kunas (approximately 330 euros)

Stage 2: Formal Review (7-20 days)

DZIV will complete the review within 10 working days. Common correction requirements include:

Supplement the commodity circulation certificate issued by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce

Update the certification of the European Bar Association for the power of attorney

Stage 3: Substantive defense (1-3 months)

The opposing party shall submit a defense statement within 30 days (with the option to apply for a 15 day extension)

Simultaneously submit a trademark usage plan (certified by a notary office)

Stage 4: Online hearing (3-6 months)

The Industrial Property Committee held a hearing through Zoom (electronic evidence package needs to be uploaded 7 days in advance)

Both parties shall submit a technical comparison report (not exceeding 40 pages, bilingual version)

Stage 5: Administrative adjudication (6-9 months)

Possible ruling outcome:

Completely revoke the opposed trademark (success rate of 38% in 2023)

Request for additional geographical indications (such as limited to use on the Istrian Peninsula)

Reject the objection application

Stage 6: Judicial relief (9-18 months)

The losing party may appeal to the Zagreb Commercial Court (deadline is 30 days)

The average trial period of the Supreme Court is 12-15 months