Community trademark: Protocol on the international registration of marks; Madrid Agreement 1989 (amend. Regulation (EC) No 40/94)

The rapporteur stated that the fairly complicated mechanics of the approval procedure for the Madrid Protocol required a Council decision for the EU’s accession, prior to the amendment of Regulation (EC) No 40/94 which had introduced the Community trade mark. This amendment was needed so that there was a link between the international and Community systems for the registration of trade marks. Noting that the Committee on Legal Affairs had adopted the Commission’s proposal without amending this, Commissioner Monti indicated the benefits to the single market and European industry of this link between the two parallel trade mark protection systems.