欧盟商标注册中的转换程序

Conversion is possible in the following circumstances:

在以下情况下可以转换：

1. Where an EUTM application has been finally refused by the Office, in a decision on absolute or relative grounds for refusal during examination or opposition proceedings;

欧盟商标在审查过程或异议程序中因绝对理由或相对理由被官方最终驳回；

2. Where an EUTM application has been withdrawn by the applicant;

申请人撤回欧盟商标；

3. where an EUTM application is deemed to be withdrawn, namely when class fees are not  paid within the relevant time limit after filing the application;

欧盟商标在提交申请后，未及时缴纳类别费用，而被视为撤回。

4. where an EUTM registration ceases to have effect, which applies in the following circumstances:

欧盟商标在以下情况下失效的：

(1) where an EUTM registration has been validly surrendered;

欧盟商标已被放弃注册的情况；

(2) where an EUTM registration has not been renewed;

欧盟商标未续展的情况；

(3) where an EUTM registration has been declared invalid by the Office or by a European Union trade mark court;

欧盟商标局或欧盟商标法院宣布欧盟商标注册无效的情况；

(4) where the rights of the proprietor of an EUTM registration have been revoked by the Office or by an EUTM court except in the case of revocation due to non-use.

欧盟商标注册所有人的权利已被主管局或欧盟商标法院撤销，但因未使用而撤销的情况除外。

Conversion may be requested for all or for some of the goods or services to which the act or decision mentioned above relates. And the request may be into national trade mark applications in one, more or all of the Member States.

转换请求可针对上述行为或决定所涉及的全部或部分产品或服务。该请求可以在一个、多个或所有成员国进入国家商标申请。

Conversion will not take place in the following circumstances:

以下情形不得进行转换程序：

1. Conversion will not take place where the rights of the proprietor of the European Union trade mark, or the holder of the IR, have been revoked on the grounds of non-use, unless in the Member State for which conversion is requested the EUTM or IR has been put to use that would be considered genuine under the laws of that Member State.

欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标的商标权是基于未使用而被撤销的，其申请人不得进行转换程序，除非在要求转换的成员国内，根据该国法律，该商标确实已投入使用。

2.The second reason for precluding conversion is related to a ground for refusal, for revocation (other than for non-use) or for a declaration of invalidity. It applies when the decision of the Office or of a European Union trade mark court expressly states that the ground for refusal, for revocation or for invalidity applies in respect of a particular Member State, and precludes conversion for that Member State.

第二条不得进行转换的原因与拒绝、撤销（不使用除外）或宣布无效的理由有关。当欧盟商标局或欧盟商标法院的决定明确指出驳回、撤销或无效的理由适用于特定成员国，则不得在该成员国进行转换程序。

Example：

例子：

Where an absolute ground for refusal exists only for one Member State, which may be the case because the trade mark is descriptive or deceptive only in a particular Member State and not in other Member States, conversion will not take place in respect of that Member State, whereas conversion may be requested for all Member States in which the ground for refusal has not been expressly found to exist.

如果驳回的绝对理由仅存在于一个成员国，可能该商标仅在特定成员国具有描述性或欺骗性，而在其他成员国不存在这样的问题，则转换程序不得在此特定成员国内进行。而那些不存在该驳回理由的成员国，可以接受转换程序的请求。

Where an EUTM or IR designating the EU has been declared invalid in invalidity proceedings on the ground of bad faith, this has the effect of excluding conversion for the entire Union.

如果欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标是由于恶意注册而被无效的，则在所用欧盟地区都不得进行转换。

3. Where the applicant withdraws the EUTM application or the owner surrenders the EUTM, or the holder renounces the designation of the EU, before the decision becomes final (i.e. during the appeal period) and subsequently requests conversion of the mark into national trade marks in some or all of the Member States for which a ground for refusal, for revocation or invalidity applies, such a request for conversion will be refused for those Member States.

若申请人在最终决定（即在上诉期间）下发前撤回或者放弃欧盟商标或放弃马德里指定欧盟商标，并随后在这些拒绝、撤销或无效理由适用的某些或所有成员国内请求转换的，将会被拒绝。

The Office will deal with requests for conversion by:

        · examining them;

        · publishing them; and

        · transmitting them to the designated offices.

欧盟商标局将按以下程序处理转换申请：

        · 审查；

        · 公布；

        · 转送到指定成员国的主管局

1. Time limit

时间限制

A general time limit of three months for requesting conversion applies. The start of the time limit depends on the ground for conversion.The time limit may not be extended.

申请转换的一般期限为三个月。时限的起算取决于转换的理由。时限不得延长。

Where an EUTM application is deemed to be withdrawn, a request for conversion may be filed within three months from the date of the corresponding confirmation from the Office.

若欧盟商标被视为撤回，则可以在主管局相应确认之日起三个月内提出转换请求。

In all other cases the time limit of three months for requesting conversion starts automatically, namely:

在所有其他情况下，转换请求的三个月期限自动起算：

·  where the EUTM application is withdrawn, on the day the withdrawal is received by the Office;

若欧盟商标被撤回，那么从商标局收到撤回之日起算；

·  where the EUTM is surrendered, on the day on which the surrender is entered in the EUTM Register (which is the day on which it becomes effective);

在放弃欧盟商标的情况下，那么从登记簿中登记之日（即其生效之日） 起算；

·  where the EUTM registration or IR was not renewed, on the day following the last day of the period within which a request for renewal may be submitted, that is to say, six months after the expiry of the registration;

若欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标未续展的，那么从提交续展之日最后期限的那一天（即6个月宽展期结束之日）起算； 

·  where the EUTM application or IR designating the EU is refused, on the day on which the decision becomes final;

若欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标被驳回的，那么从最终决定之日起算；

·  where the EUTM or IR designating the EU is declared invalid or revoked, on the day on which the decision of the Office or the judgment of the EUTM court becomes final.

若欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标被宣告无效或被撤销，则从欧盟商标局的最终决定之日或欧盟商标法院的最终判决之日起算。

For example, if an EUTM is rejected by a decision of the Office on absolute grounds for refusal that is notified on 11/11/2011, the decision becomes final on 11/01/2012. The three-month period for requesting conversion ends on 11/04/2012.

例如，如果欧盟商标局在2011年11月11 日下达裁定通知，以绝对理由驳回欧盟商标，那么其最终决定期限为2012年1月11日。请求转换的三个月期限截止至2012年4月11日。

2. Grounds

理由

The Office will examine:

主管局将会审查：

·  whether one of the grounds for conversion mentioned above exists;

是否存在前文提到的转换理由；

·  whether one of the grounds precluding conversion referred above exists;

 是否存在前文提到的不得进行转换的理由；

·  for an opting-back conversion（the conversion of the designation of the EU into subsequent designations of one or more Member States under the Madrid Agreement or Protocol ‘opting back’）, whether it would have been possible at the date of the IR to designate the Member State concerned in an international application;

对于选择退回转换的情况（选择退回转换是指根据马德里协定或议定书马德里指定欧盟商标转换为指定其他一个或多个成员国的国际申请的情况），需要审查是否有可能在国际申请之日指定国际申请中的相关成员国； 

·  for partial conversion, whether the goods and services to be converted were in fact contained in, and do not go beyond, the goods and services of the EUTM or IR designating the EU at the point in time when it lapsed or ceased to have effect;

对于部分转换，需要审查在商标失效时，要转换的产品或服务是否包含在原有欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标的产品及服务范围内；

·  for partial conversion in the sense that part of the EUTM or IR designating the EU remains alive, whether the goods and services to be converted overlap with the goods and services for which the mark remains alive.

对于部分转换，若欧盟商标或马德里指定欧盟商标部分有效，则需要审查要转换的产品和服务是否与原有商标仍然有效的部分产品和服务有所重合。

3. Partial conversion

部分转换

Where conversion is requested only for some of the goods and services, or for different goods and services for different Member States (‘partial conversion’), the Office will examine whether the goods and services for which conversion is requested are contained within the goods and services for which the ground of conversion applies.

若仅针对某些商品和服务请求转换，或针对不同成员国的不同商品和服务（“部分转换”）请求转换，则该商标局将审查请求转换的商品和服务是否包含在转换理由适用的商品和服务中。

Where an application is refused in part or a registration is invalidated or revoked in part, conversion may be requested only for the goods or services for which the application was refused or the registration was invalidated or revoked, and not for the goods or services for which the application or registration remains valid.

如果申请受到限制，或注册被部分放弃，则只能对限制/部分放弃的商品或服务请求转换，而不能对申请或注册仍然有效的商品或服务请求转换。

In each Member State concerned, the national trade mark application resulting from the conversion will enjoy the filing date or, if any, the priority date of the EUTM application, as well as the seniority of an earlier trade mark with effect for that State validly claimed for the EUTM application or registration under Article 39 or 40 EUTMR.

在每个相关成员国，转换产生的国家商标申请将享有该欧盟商标的申请日或优先权日（如果有），以及根据欧盟商标条例第39或40条，在该国有效主张的在先欧盟申请或注册商标的优先权。

In the event of an opting-back conversion, the international application resulting from the subsequent designation of the Member State will enjoy the original date of the IR designating the EU, that is, either the actual date of the IR (including, if appropriate, its priority date) or the date of the subsequent designation of the EU.

在选择退回转换的情况下，后期指定成员国产生的国际申请将享有马德里指定欧盟商标的原始日期，即马德里商标的实际日期（包括其优先权日期）或后期指定欧盟的日期。

However, there is no harmonised procedure for how national offices will proceed with the examination of the converted EUTM. The conversion procedure itself, is dealt with by the national trade mark and patent offices. Depending on national law, the converted trade mark will either be registered immediately or will enter the national examination, registration and opposition procedure like any other national trade mark application.

但是，对于各国家局将如何审查转换后的欧盟商标，目前没有统一的程序。转换程序本身，是由各国商标和专利局处理。根据国家法律，转换后的商标要么立即注册，要么像任何其他国家商标申请一样进入国家审查、注册和异议程序。

National applications deriving from the conversion of an earlier EUTM (application) are considered to come into existence as soon as a valid conversion request is filed. Therefore, in opposition proceedings, such rights will be considered properly identified for admissibility purposes if the opponent indicates the number of the EUTM (application) under conversion and the countries for which it has requested conversion.

一旦提交了有效的转换请求，由在先的欧盟商标（申请）转换衍生的国家申请就被视为已经存在。因此，在异议程序中，如果异议方指明了转换的欧盟商标（申请）的商标号及其请求转换的国家/地区，此类商标权利将被认可并接受。

When, during opposition or invalidity proceedings on relative grounds, the EUTM on which the opposition is based ceases to exist, but at the same time a request for conversion is filed, the opposition or invalidity proceedings can continue. This is because national trade mark registrations resulting from a conversion of an EUTM can constitute the basis of the opposition or invalidity procedure.

在基于相对理由的异议或无效程序中，基于一欧盟商标提起异议，若该商标无效但同时提起转换请求，那么该异议或无效程序可以继续进行。因为由欧盟商标转换成的国家商标注册是可以作为异议或撤销的基础理由的。