Brexit Update

The recent general election in the UK saw the previous government returned to office with a significant majority in Parliament.  As a result, it seems likely that the withdrawal agreement they reached with the EU last autumn will be passed, and the UK will formally leave the European Union on 31st January 2020.

There will then begin a transition period (initially due to expire on 31 December 2020, though extendable if both the UK and EU agree) whereby EU laws will continue to apply in the UK.  During this time, all EU Trade Mark and Design registrations will continue to have effect in the UK.  When the transition period expires, equivalent UK rights to EU Trade Marks and Designs which have been granted protection by that date will be brought into existence (unless the owners of the EU rights opt out of receiving such UK rights, and with an exception for Design registrations whose publications were deferred beyond that date). Owners of pending EU Trade Mark and Design applications at that date will have a period of time to file (and pay for) equivalent UK applications.exit FAQs section of our website here.

Our office in Alicante, Spain, is up and running and Beck Greener will continue to represent clients in both UK and EU trade mark and design matters both during and after Brexit.  The UK leaving the EU has no relevance to patents as the European Patent Office is not an EU institution, and so our patent work will be unaffected also.