12 | 10 | 2011

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Communications by Electronic Means Under the Procedures of the Madrid System Between the Office and the International Bureau of WIPO, signed on 10/5/2011

On the occasion of attending The Forty-Ninth Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World International Property Organization (WIPO) held in Geneva, Mr. Željko Topić, Director General of SIPO Croatia signed with Mrs Binying Wang, deputy director general to WIPO the Memorandum of Understanding on Communications by Electronic Means Under the Procedures of the Madrid System Between the Office and the International Bureau of WIPO, in Geneva on October 5, 2011.

The objective of this MoU is to establish the communication of the documents between two Parties under the Procedures of the Madrid System by electronic means-Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registration of Marks and the Protocol Relating to that Agreement-thereby replacing paper communication by electronic communication. The MoU is regulating general subject matters for the communication of documents by electronic means, specifying technical details of data and documents exchange for each of the procedures. For the moment the system of electronic exchange is covering transmission of documents in which SIPO is notified of international registrations designating the Republic of Croatia in the international registrations of marks by the International Bureau of WIPO; and SIPO shall transmit forms and notifications concerning the statements on the grant of protection (Rule 18ter (1) and notifications about Provisional Refusal-absolute grounds (Rule 17(1)).

The formal requirements have been established by the execution of this instrument for the purpose of transition to the communication of documents by electronic means for all the procedures under the Madrid System, thereby increasing their efficiency and decreasing the costs incurred by the Office in their implementation.