(A)  Basic Legal Texts

– Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of The European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017 on the European Union trade mark (codification).
– Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/625 of March 5, 2018 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union trade mark, and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1430.
– Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/626 of March 5, 2018 laying down detailed rules for implementing certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Union trade mark, and repealing Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1431.
– Directive (EU) 2015/2436 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 16, 2015 to approximate the laws of the Member States relating to trade marks. The Directive replaces the content of Directive 2008/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 22, 2008, which had in turn replaced the content of Directive 89/104/EEC of December 21, 1988, as amended by a 1992 Council Decision, without any substantive change.

The new Directive (EU) 2015/2436 stipulates that Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with Articles 3 to 6, Articles 8 to 14, Articles 16, 17 and 18, Articles 22 to 39, Article 41, Articles 43 to 50 by January 14, 2019. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions to comply with Article 45 by January 14, 2023.

Further information available on the Internet site of the EUIPO at: Law & Practice, EU trade mark legal texts, Regulations & Directives:
https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/eu-trade-mark-legal-texts

(B)  Decisions and Communications

Further information available at: Law & Practice, Law, Decisions & Communications of the Executive Director:
https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/decisions-and-communications-of-the-executive-director

(C)  Guidelines on Procedures before the EUIPO

Information on guidelines available at:
https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/trade-mark-guidelines

(D)  Manuals on Procedures before the EUIPO

Information on manuals and current trademark practice also available at: Law & Practice of the EUIPO portal.

See information about the EUIPO “Convergence Programme”, launched in 2011, an endeavor to reach common ground in areas where IP Offices have different practices. This programme currently involves various projects regarding: harmonization of trademark classification practice of goods and services; convergence of class headings; absolute grounds for refusal for figurative trademarks with purely descriptive words or expressions; scope of protection of trademarks exclusively in black, white and/or shades of grey; relative grounds – likelihood of confusion (impact of non-distinctive/weak components); convergence on graphic representations of designs; and harmonization of product indications.