New Macedonian Industrial Property Law Enters into Force

The new Macedonian Law on Industrial Property entered into force on February 25, 2009.

Among other things, the law allows interested parties to initiate an administrative dispute against decisions made by the Macedonian Office of Industrial Property before the Administrative Court of Macedonia.

Parties can do so by initiating a lawsuit before the Administrative Court of the Republic of Macedonia within a period of 30 days following the issuance of the decision.

The new law also makes it possible for third parties to oppose published trademarks on absolute grounds.

According to the new law, patent applicants are required to state their choice of examination procedure directly in the application no later than six months after filing an application.

Another novelty concerns the payment of patent annuities, as it is no longer necessary to obtain the power of attorney for this purpose.

For more information, please contact Zivka Kostovska or Tatjana Nakevska in our Macedonia Office.