Significant Amendments Introduced To Trademarks Law

On 12 June 2020 the Trademarks Law Cap 268 (as amended) (L 63(I)/2020) was published in the Official Gazette, implementing the EU Trademarks Directive (2015/2436) into Cypriot law. The new directive aims to accommodate the modern business environment by standardising the rules applicable in EU member states in order to:

• facilitate transnational company activities;
• improve cooperation among trademark offices; and
• support anti-counterfeiting.

This article discusses the most notable amendments.

Graphical representation no longer required

Previously, a graphical representation was an essential requirement for registration and had to be included in the application for any kind of trademark. This requirement has now been removed in order to make it easier for interested parties to file and register non-traditional trademarks, such as sound marks (which cannot be represented graphically due to their nature). The amended law requires that an applied-for