The OHIM Cooperation Fund is designed to promote further harmonization, modernise national IP offices, and make things easier for users of the European trade mark and design systems.
A Management Board for the Fund was appointed in September 2009 to advise OHIM’s President on the identification of projects, the allocation of spending, and the rules that should govern the management of the Fund.
The board is chaired by Lord Mogg KCMG, a former senior UK civil servant and ex-Director General of the Commission's DG Internal Market. Lord Mogg, who is currently non-executive Chairman of Ofgem, the energy regulator for Great Britain, also holds senior office in a number of European regulatory bodies.
The board has two other members – Ms Mireia Curell, a Partner of Curell Suñol, a Barcelona-based IP firm; and Mr Jef Vandekerckhove who is responsible for the worldwide trade mark portfolio of Philips International B.V. Both are also active in a number of international associations dealing with IP. The Chair of OHIM’s Administrative Board also attends Management Board meetings as an observer.
At total of 16 projects are going ahead under the Fund, which is also the vehicle for continuing development of the previously running TMview and EuroClass projects. The 14 new projects are split into two "packets" with the Packet 1 projects getting under way in January 2011 and the kick-off meetings for the Packet 2 projects taking place in September 2011.
See below for link to (PDF) versions the IP Cooperation and Convergence Newsletter.
IP Cooperation and Convergence Newsletter