Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33Show full title

SECTION 3 U.K. Protection

Article 32 U.K. Relationship with trade marks

1. The registration of a trade mark that contains or consists of a traditional term which does not respect the definition and conditions of use of that traditional term as referred to in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, and that relates to a product falling under one of the categories listed in Part II of Annex VII thereto shall be:

(a) refused if the application for registration of the trade mark is submitted after the date of submission of the application for protection of the traditional term to the [F1 Secretary of State] and the traditional term is subsequently protected; or

(b) invalidated.

2. A name shall not be protected as a traditional term where, in the light of a trade mark's reputation and renown, such protection is liable to mislead the consumer as to the true identity, nature, characteristic or quality of the grapevine product.

3. Without prejudice to paragraph 2, a trade mark referred to in paragraph 1 which has been applied for, registered or established by use in good faith, F2 ... in the territory of the [F3 United Kingdom], prior to the date of protection of the traditional term in the country of origin, may continue to be used and renewed notwithstanding the protection of a traditional term, provided that no grounds for the trade mark's invalidity or revocation exist [F4 in, or under, the TMA].

In such cases, the use of the traditional term shall be permitted alongside the relevant trade marks.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Art. 32(1)(a) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1637), regs. 1(7), 26(30)(a)

F2 Words in Art. 32(3) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1637), regs. 1(7), 26(30)(b)(i)

F3 Words in Art. 32(3) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1637), regs. 1(7), 26(30)(b)(ii)

F4 Words in Art. 32(3) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1637), regs. 1(7), 26(30)(b)(iii)

[F5 Article 32a U.K. Transitional provision: relationship with trade marks

1. Unless paragraph 4 applies, an application to register a trade mark that was pending immediately before IP completion day or filed during the relevant period must be refused where, if the trade mark is registered, the use of the trade mark will not respect the definition in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and the conditions of use in Article 113 of that Regulation in relation to a category A traditional term.

2. Unless paragraph 4 applies, an application to register a trade mark that was pending immediately before IP completion day or filed during the relevant period must be refused where:

(a) if the trade mark is registered, the use of the trade mark will not respect the definition in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and conditions of use in Article 113 of that Regulation in relation to a category B traditional term, and

(b) after the application for the trade mark is accepted but before the trade mark is registered:

(i) in the case of a type 2B traditional term:

(aa) the international agreement referred to in paragraph (c) of column 2 of row 2 of the Types Table enters into force or the bridging arrangements referred to in that column are made, and

(bb) the entry into force of the international agreement or the making of the bridging arrangements is brought to the attention of the registrar before the trade mark is registered;

(ii) in the case of any other category B traditional term:

(aa) the Secretary of State publishes an Article 115(2) approval notice relating to the traditional term, and

(bb) the Article 115(2) approval notice is brought to the attention of the registrar before the trade mark is registered.

3. Where an application for a declaration of invalidity is made under the TMA (as applied by Article 32b(1) and modified by Article 32b(2)) in relation to the registration of a trade mark, the registration of the trade mark must be declared to be invalid, unless paragraph 4 applies, if:

(a) the application to register the trade mark was pending immediately before IP completion day or filed during the relevant period,

(b) the use of the trade mark does not, or will not, if used, respect the definition in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and conditions of use in Article 113 of that Regulation in relation to a category B traditional term, and

(c) in the case of a type 3B, 4B or 5B traditional term, the Secretary of State publishes an Article 115(2) approval notice relating to the traditional term on or after the day on which the trade mark application is accepted.

4. This paragraph applies where a column 5 date applies in relation to a category A or B traditional term and, taking account of any priority claimed in respect of an application to register the trade mark referred to in paragraph 1, 2 or 3(a) (as relevant) and on the basis of the information available to the registrar, it appears to the registrar that the date of filing of the trade mark application is earlier than the column 5 date that applies to the relevant traditional term.

5. As regards paragraphs 1 and 2, a column 5 date does not apply in relation to a type 2A, 3A or 4A traditional term where the EUIA referred to in paragraph (b) in column 2 of the row of the Types Table relating to the traditional term provides that an application for a trade mark must be refused, regardless of when that application is filed, if the trade mark, if registered, will contravene a provision in the EUIA providing for the protection of the use of the traditional term

6. As regards paragraph 3, a column 5 date does not apply in relation to a type 2B, 3B or 4B traditional term where the EUIA referred to in paragraph (b) in column 2 of the row of the Types Table relating to the traditional term provides that the registration of a trade mark must be invalidated if, regardless of when the application that resulted in the registration of the trade mark is filed, the use of the trade mark contravenes a provision in the EUIA providing for the protection of the use of the traditional term.

7. Where a traditional term falls within the definition of more than one type of traditional term in Article 1b, the column 5 date to be taken into account for the purpose of paragraph 4 is the earliest of the column 5 dates for the relevant types of traditional term.

8. In a case of a category A or B traditional term that is not on Great Britain's Traditional Terms Register at the time an assessment is carried out under paragraph 1, 2 or 3, the traditional term is to be treated, for the purpose of the assessment, as being a protected traditional term in determining whether the use of the trade mark will contravene Article 113 in relation to that traditional term.

9. A trade mark that could be used under Article 32(3) of EU Regulation 2019/33 in the United Kingdom immediately before IP completion day may continue to be used in Great Britain on and after IP completion day:

(a) notwithstanding that the use of the trade mark would not respect the definition in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and conditions of use in Article 113 of that Regulation in relation to a traditional term registered by the Secretary of State under this Regulation;

(b) provided that no grounds for the invalidation or revocation of the trade mark exist in, or under, the TMA.

10. Nothing in this Regulation prevents a trade mark that could be renewed in the United Kingdom pursuant to Article 32(3) of EU Regulation 2019/33 immediately before IP completion day from being renewed after IP completion day:

(a) notwithstanding that the use of the renewed trade mark would not respect the definition in Article 112 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and conditions of use in Article 113 of that Regulation in relation to a traditional term registered by the Secretary of State under this Regulation;

(b) provided that no grounds for the invalidation or revocation of the trade mark exist in, or under, the TMA.

11. Where paragraph 9 or 10 applies to the use or renewal of a trade mark, this does not affect the use of:

(a) an established protected traditional term entered on Great Britain's Traditional Terms Register pursuant to Article 39;

(b) a traditional term entered on Great Britain's Traditional Terms Register by the Secretary of State following a decision by the Secretary of State to approve an application to protect the traditional term submitted under Article 21 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/34;

(c) a traditional term entered on Great Britain's Traditional Terms Register by the Secretary of State under Article 25(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/34.

12. In this Article:

(b) ‘a category A traditional term’ means a type 1, 2A, 3A, 4A or 5A traditional term;

(c) ‘a category B traditional term’ means a type 2B, 3B, 4B or 5B traditional term;

(d) ‘column 5 date’, in relation to a traditional term that is a category A or B traditional term, means the date specified, or provided for, in column 5 of the Types Table in the row relating to the relevant type of traditional term;

(e) ‘date of filing’:

(i) in the case of an EUTM-based trade mark application, means the filing date referred to in paragraph 25(2)(a)(i) of Schedule 2A to the TMA for the existing EUTM application;

(ii) in the case of an ITM-based trade mark application, means:

(aa) in the case of an application for the registration of a trade mark to which paragraph 28 of Schedule 2B to the TMA applies, the date referred to in paragraph 28(2)(a) of that Schedule for the existing ITM application or existing request for EU extension (as the case may be);

(bb) in the case of an application for the registration of a trade mark to which paragraph 29 of Schedule 2B to the TMA applies, the date referred to in paragraph 29(2)(a) of that Schedule for the existing ITM application or existing request for EU extension (as the case may be);

(iii) in any other case, has the meaning given by section 33 of the TMA;

(f) ‘EUTM-based trade mark application’ means an application to register a trade mark to which paragraph 25(1) of Schedule 2A to the TMA applies that is made within the period specified in paragraph 25(2) of that Schedule;

(g) ‘existing EUTM application’ has the same meaning as in paragraph 24 of Schedule 2A to the TMA;

(h) ‘existing ITM application’ has the same meaning as in paragraph 27(1)(a) of Schedule 2B to the TMA;

(i) ‘existing request for EU extension’ has the same meaning as in paragraph 27(1)(b) of Schedule 2B to the TMA;

(j) ‘ITM-based trade mark application’ means an application to register a trade mark to which paragraph 28(1) or 29(1) of Schedule 2B to the TMA applies that is made within the period specified in paragraph 28(1)(c) or 29(1)(c) (as the case may be) of that Schedule;

(k) ‘the registrar’ has the meaning given by section 62 of the TMA.

13. Any reference in this Article to:

(a) ‘priority claimed in respect of an application’:

(i) in the case of an EUTM-based trade mark application, means any priority claimed in respect of the existing EUTM application referred to in paragraph 25(2)(a)(ii) of Schedule 2A to the TMA;

(ii) in the case of an ITM-based trade mark application, means any priority claimed in respect of the existing ITM application or the existing request for EU extension referred to in paragraph 28(2)(b) or 29(2)(b) (as the case may be) of Schedule 2B to the TMA;

(iii) in any other case, means any priority claimed in respect of the application pursuant to section 35 of the TMA;

(b) an application to register a trade mark that was ‘pending immediately before IP completion day’ is a reference to an application that was neither refused, nor resulted in the registration of the trade mark that is the subject of the application, before IP completion day;

(c) a trade mark includes a reference to:

(i) a collective mark as defined in section 49(1) of the TMA;

(ii) a certification mark as defined in section 50(1) of the TMA.]

Textual Amendments

F5 Arts. 32a, 32b inserted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1637), regs. 1(7), 26(31), Sch. 8 Pt. 3 (as amended by S.I. 2020/1661, regs. 1(2)(b), 16(10)(b))

[F5 Article 32b U.K. Application and modification of trade mark provisions

1. For the purpose of Article 32a, the following provisions of the TMA apply, with the modifications, in the case of sections 47(3) and (5), 74(1), 76(1) and 77(1), specified in paragraph 2:

(a) subsections (3) to (5) and (6) of section 47 (invalidation of trade marks) in relation to an application to invalidate a trade mark referred to in Article 32a(3);

(b) section 72 (registration to be prima face evidence of validity);

(c) section 73 (certificate of validity of contested application);

(d) section 74 (registrar's appearance in proceedings involving the register of trade marks);

(e) section 75 (definition of ‘the court’);

(f) section 76 (appeals) except for subsection (5);

(g) section 77(1) (persons appointed to hear and determine appeals).

2. The modifications are:

(a) section 47 applies as if:

(i) in subsection (3), in the words before paragraph (a), after ‘invalidity’ there were inserted ‘made under this section, as applied by Article 32b(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards applications for protection of designations of origin, geographical indications and traditional terms in the wine sector, the objection procedure, restrictions of use, amendments to product specifications, cancellation of protection, and labelling and presentation,’;

(ii) in subsection (5), for ‘grounds of invalidity’ there were substituted ‘ground for invalidity specified in Article 32a(3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 exists’;

(b) section 74(1) applies as if, for the words from ‘for’ to ‘the registrar’ there were substituted ‘for a declaration of the invalidity of the registration of a trade mark, the registrar’;

(c) section 76(1) applies as if:

(i) in the first paragraph, for the words from ‘under’ to the end there were substituted ‘made under Article 32a(3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33’;

(ii) the second paragraph were omitted;

(d) section 77(1) applies as if, at the end there were inserted ‘as applied by Article 32b(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33’.

3. In the case of the following proceedings, the rules made under section 68 or 69 of the TMA apply to those proceedings as they apply to proceedings involving an application of the type referred to in section 74(1)(b) of the TMA:

(a) an application to invalidate a trade mark referred to in Article 32a(3);

(b) an appeal to an appointed person from a decision of the registrar in relation to an application referred to in paragraph (a).]

Textual Amendments

F5 Arts. 32a, 32b inserted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1637), regs. 1(7), 26(31), Sch. 8 Pt. 3 (as amended by S.I. 2020/1661, regs. 1(2)(b), 16(10)(b))

[F6 Article 32c U.K. Third Country traditional terms covered by bridging arrangements

1. A traditional term to which paragraph 2 applies is, for the protection period, to be entered on Great Britain’s Traditional Terms Register.

2. This paragraph applies to a traditional term which relates to a wine sector product produced in a third country (“C”) which:

(a) was, immediately before IP completion day, protected in the European Union under an EUIA to which the European Union and C were contracting parties, and

(b) is, before a qualifying international agreement enters into force, to be protected in Great Britain pursuant to any written arrangements made by the United Kingdom and C (“bridging arrangements”).

3. For the purposes of this Article, “the protection period”, in relation to a traditional term, is the period for which:

(a) the relevant bridging arrangements have effect, or

(b) if only part of the relevant bridging arrangements relates to the traditional term, that part has effect.

4. In this Article “qualifying international agreement” means an international agreement between the United Kingdom and C, which has been initialled.]

Textual Amendments

F6 Arts. 32c, 32d inserted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1661), reg. 1(3), Sch. 4

[F6 Article 32d U.K. Transitional provisions: relations between trade marks and traditional terms when bridging arrangements are in effect

1. Where a traditional term is entered on Great Britain’s Traditional Terms Register under Article 32c, Articles 32a and 32b and Annex A1 apply for the purposes of determining:

(a) whether an application to register a trade mark which was pending before IP completion day or made during the relevant period, must be refused, or

(b) if a relevant invalidity application was made, whether the registration of a trade mark must be declared invalid,

but subject to the general modifications specified in paragraphs 2 and 3 and any further modifications made by regulations (if any) (see paragraph 4).

2. The modifications mentioned in paragraph 1 are that Articles 32a and 32b and Annex A1 are to be read as if:

(a) in the case of a type A term, any reference to a type 2A traditional term included a reference to a type A term;

(b) in the case of a type B term, any reference to a type 2B traditional term included a reference to a type B term.

3. In addition, Article 32b and Annex A1 are to be read as if any reference to Article 32a included a reference to that Article as applied by this Article.

4. The Secretary of State may, by regulations, make such further modifications to Article 32a or 32b or Annex A1 as the Secretary of State considers necessary for the purpose of ensuring that the relative priorities afforded to traditional terms and trade marks before IP completion day continue to apply appropriately during the relevant period.

5. For the purposes of this Article:

• ‘relevant invalidity application’ means an application for a declaration of invalidity made under the TMA (as applied by Article 32b(1) and modified by Article 32b(2)) in relation to the registration of a trade mark;

• ‘type A term’ means a traditional term which—

  (i)

  is, immediately before the application to register a trade mark is accepted, entered in Great Britain’s Traditional Terms Register under Article 32c, or

  (ii)

  is not so entered when the application to register a trade mark is accepted, but is to be protected under bridging arrangements which come into effect before the application to register a trade mark is accepted;

• ‘type B term’ means a traditional term which is not entered in Great Britain’s Traditional Terms Register under Article 32c when the relevant trade mark application is accepted but must be protected in Great Britain pursuant to bridging arrangements made on or after the day on which the relevant trade mark application is accepted.

6. The power to make regulations conferred on the Secretary of State by paragraph 4 is exercisable by statutory instrument.

7. A statutory instrument containing regulations under paragraph 4 may not be made unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

8. Such regulations may:

(a) contain supplementary, incidental, consequential, transitional or saving provision (including provision amending, repealing or revoking an enactment);

(b) make different provision for different purposes.

9. In this Article, ‘enactment’ means:

(a) an enactment contained in any Order in Council, order, rules, regulations or other instrument made under an Act, except so far as it extends to Northern Ireland;

(b) regulations made under retained direct principal EU legislation, except so far as they extend to Northern Ireland;

(c) retained direct minor EU legislation, except so far as it extends to Northern Ireland.]

Textual Amendments

F6 Arts. 32c, 32d inserted (31.12.2020) by The Agricultural Products, Food and Drink (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1661), reg. 1(3), Sch. 4

Article 33 U.K. Homonyms

1. A term for which an application for protection is submitted and which is wholly or partially homonymous with a traditional term already protected under Article 113 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 shall be registered with due regard to local and traditional usage and the risk of confusion.

A homonymous term which misleads consumers as to the nature, quality or the true origin of the grapevine products shall not be registered even if the term is accurate.

A registered homonymous term may be used only if there is a sufficient distinction in practice between the homonym registered subsequently and the term already in the register, having regard to the need to treat the producers concerned in an equitable manner and the need to avoid misleading the consumer.

2. Paragraph 1 shall apply mutatis mutandis for traditional terms protected before 1 August 2009 which are wholly or partially homonymous with a protected designation of origin or geographical indication or a wine grape variety name or its synonym listed in Annex IV.