"Brexit" - BrexIP?

Besides coverage of the UEFA-championship, news of the UK vote on "Brexit" dominated the news last week. While it is too early for an in-depth analysis of the ramifications of a possible "Brexit" on IP rights – not only because despite the vote it is not yet decided whether the UK will in fact withdraw from the EU, but also because the specific mechanisms of such withdrawal will most likely be regulated in an agreement pursuant to Art 50 (2) of the Lisbon Treaty – enterprises should also monitor the developments in this field of law. Below is a small foretaste on issues related to key IP-rights:

European Union trademarks and Designs:

European Union Trade Marks (EUTM) confer trademark protection throughout the EU. Accordingly, if and as soon as the UK ceases to be a member of the EU, EUTM would not – under the current regime – cover the territory of the UK anymore. The most likely scenario in case of a "Brexit" is that some kind of conversion procedure will be