News: Trademark registration in Serbia

Registration of trademark in Serbia

The Republic of Serbia is a signatory country to the Madrid Protocol and the Madrid Agreement. In view of the foregoing fact, there are two ways of registering trademark in Serbia, namely:

1. Registration in the National Patent Service of Serbia

• It is necessary to submit application directly to this service.
• After that, examination for the correctness of the data specified in the application, formal examination of the trademark, examination for compliance with the selected classification number according to the Nice system, and verification of the availability of visually similar or identical trademarks in the register of the National Serbian Patent Bureau are carried out.
• Based on the results of the verifications and examinations, the Patent Service issues the required Certificate to the applicant.

2. International registration of trademark in several countries at once

• The application should be submitted to the International Office of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In order to do the foregoing, it is necessary to contact the patent office of your country, that is, the state where the trademark is already registered;
• In order to file application according to international standard, the trademark registered in your country is necessary.
• The WIPO Service conducts formal examination of the trademark for compliance with the specified classification (according to the generally accepted Nice system), for the availability of similar trademarks in the considered business sphere, etc.
• Examination of the correctness of compilation of the documents for registration of trademark in Serbia, such as the application, etc. is also carried out. If the results of the examinations are satisfactory, the applicant will obtain the certificate of registering a brand name in Serbia, and the trademark is entered in the International Register.
• The WIPO Office sends the application for registration to the Patent Office of Serbia and other countries selected for international registration.
• The Serbian National Patent Office conducts a number of independent examinations concerning this trademark. Specific features of the country's patent legislation are taken into account during the foregoing procedure.
• Based on the results of the examinations at the national patent offices, the decision clarifying whether it is possible to provide protection to this trademark in a particular state (in this case in Serbia) is sent to the WIPO.
• Final and interim refusals, final decisions are entered in the International Register. If registration with the national patent office is impossible, the trademark’s owner will be notified of the above fact. He will also receive an extract from the international register stating that registration of his trademark in Serbia is recognized as invalid.
• If the answer from the national patent office does not come to the WIPO within a specified time, the registration is considered to be carried out, and trademark is protected in the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

Proper compilation of the application and other documents, as well as timely responses to the requests of patent services, will ensure successful registration and reliable legal protection of the trademark being registered.