THE EU trade mark (EUTM) – or Community trade mark, if you have not yet managed to shake off that old moniker – system underwent fundamental change in 2016. This provided an opportune time for a detailed outline of the system and its workings, as well as commentary on its change. Mark Holah and Patricia Collis, both of Bird & Bird’s Brand Management group, grasped the opportunity to do so in The European Union Trade Mark: A Practical Guide.
The book certainly lives up to its title, giving a detailed account of the EUTM system and its quirks, with the overarching aim of practicality and utility. With an extremely useful glossary and an easily navigable layout, this is a must-have for any trade mark practitioner, particularly those who are encountering the EUTM for the first time.
Its simplicity and ease of access make the book both penetrable and enlightening. A special mention must also be made of its treatment of the history of the EUTM and its underpinning rationale, which provides a gentle introduction to non-EU practitioners less familiar with the EU and its unique framework. Without the weight and in-depth analysis of some of its contemporaries, this book could become a permanent fixture on many a practitioner’s desk in times to come.
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