The trade mark offices of the European Union in their commitment to continue to collaborate in the context of the Convergence Programme through the European Trade Mark and Design Network have agreed on a common practice with regard to trade marks in B&W and/or greyscale. The common practice is made public through a Common Communication with the purpose of further increasing transparency, legal certainty, and predictability for the benefit of examiners and users alike.
The subject of this Common Communication is the convergence of the different handlings of trade marks in B&W and/or greyscale in relation to :
• priority,
• relative grounds, and
• genuine use.
The common practice will take effect within 3 months of the date of publication of this common communication (i.e. 16 July 2014).
CP4 CC Practise and principles Scope of Prote (1.40 MB, Adobe PDF)
CP4 FAQs 2014 (0.50 MB, Adobe PDF)