concerning exhibition priorities
Article 44 of Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 of 12 December 2001 on Community Designs allows the claiming of an exhibition priority. It is important to underline that this provision, like the provision of Article 33 of the Community Trade Mark Regulation, is limited to exhibitions recognised under the Convention on International Exhibitions of 22.11.1928 and that only a very small number of exhibitions, in particular world exhibitions, fall under this provision (see also Communication No 3/97 of 17.12.1997, OJ OHIM 1998, 178). For the time being and for the foreseeable future, there is no exhibition that would qualify for protection under these provisions. If such an exhibition is held, the Office will communicate this sufficiently in advance.
Applicants for Community designs and their representatives are therefore advised
not to claim exhibition priorities for national exhibitions which do not fall
under Article 44 of the Community Design Regulation. This will avoid objections
by the Office and speed up the registration of their applications for registered
Community designs.
Wubbo de Boer
President