- European
After independence, Croatia adopted the Industrial Property Law of April 2, 1992, which was transitional. This law is essentially the same as the law currently adopted by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The new Croatian Trademark Law was approved by the Croatian Parliament on June 30, 1999, came into effect on July 31, 1999, and officially came into effect on January 1, 2000.
2. The official language is Croatian.
3. Croatian trademarks adopt the Nice Agreement and accept multiple types of applications. The elements that can be registered as trademarks include: text, names, letters, numbers, graphics, badges, colors, three-dimensional shapes, etc.
4. The new Trademark Law stipulates that the authorization of trademarks is based on the principle of prior registration;
5. Trademark type
(1) Ordinary trademark: Registered in Croatia as an ordinary trademark, which can be in pure text or pure graphics.
(2) Industrial design: Croatian industrial design, including color, shape, size, material, pattern, and others, must be registered under an official name.
(3) Service trademarks must be registered under the official name or service project name.
(4) Geographical indication registration must be done under the official name, and in Croatia, only goods or services officially approved by the government can apply for geographical indications.
Croatia is a party to international intellectual property treaties such as the WIPO Convention, Paris Convention, Nice Agreement, Nairobi Treaty, and TRIPS Agreement. It is also a member of the European Union and a member of the Madrid Agreement and Madrid Protocol. Therefore, trademark registration in Croatia can be processed through "single country registration", "EU registration", or "Madrid International Registration".
The trademark is valid for 10 years from the date of application; Renewal can be processed within 6 months before the expiration date, with a grace period of 6 months (with additional fees) and a validity period of 10 years.
If a trademark has not been used for five consecutive years, an application for revocation can be filed.
Applicants can submit electronic applications on the official website of the Croatian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). The cost of electronic application is 20% less than that of paper application.
1. Applicant's name and address
2. Goods or services
3. Trademark design
4. Power of Attorney
5. To submit priority, proof of priority must be provided
Submit the application form and pay the fee;
Conduct a formal review of the application;
Conduct substantive examination such as similarity of trademarks.
Within three months from the date of the application announcement, anyone may raise an objection to the trademark registration. If the Trademark Office determines that the trademark application conflicts with the prescribed conditions, the application will be rejected.
Registration and publication of registered trademarks.
Considering the time required for examination, the official gazette publishes updates every two weeks, and the three-month deadline for filing objections to trademark registration, the entire process typically takes 9 to 12 months.
However, it should be noted that conditional trademark protection should be obtained from the date of application, regardless of the procedural deadline. If all legal requirements for trademark registration are met, then comprehensive trademark protection is obtained from the date of filing an application with the Trademark Office.
