MULTIPLE PRIORITY CLAIMS FOR TRADEMARKS

09/01/2005

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With effect from 1 July 2005, multiple priority rights may be claimed in trademark registration. This also applies to earlier applications in which multiple priority rights were claimed, if exami-nation was not completed by the above date. An applicant claiming multiple priority rights should mark the priority dates claimed and the countries of first applications before descriptions of the goods or services concerned of each class.

As far as is understood at present, an applicant may assert two or more priority claims for a single class of goods or services, and may assert priority claims for only one, or only some, of the classes designated in the application. According to the Intellectual Property Office, an applicant may also assert priority claims for only some of the goods or services within a single class.