The current trademark regulations in the Principality of Liechtenstein are mainly based on the Trademark Protection Law, which was promulgated on December 12, 1996 and came into effect on March 31, 1997. The Economic Bureau is responsible for managing intellectual property affairs and the official language is German. Trademark exclusive rights need to be obtained through registration. Trademark registration is not mandatory, but in order to protect the trademark or renew it, it must be registered in accordance with the law. The trademark registration in the Principality of Liechtenstein adopts the principle of "application first", but for well-known trademarks, trademark rights can also be claimed based on "prior use".
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a signatory to international intellectual property treaties such as the Trademark Law Treaty, the Nice Agreement, the Paris Convention, the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Singapore Treaty. It is also a member of the Madrid Agreement and the Madrid Protocol, so trademark registration can be processed through "single country registration" or "Madrid international registration".
At present, the Principality of Liechtenstein adopts the Nice Classification 11th edition for the description of goods and services and accepts applications for multiple categories in one form. The elements that can be registered as trademarks in the Principality of Liechtenstein include: text, letters, graphics, three-dimensional logos, color combinations, etc.
If the applicant does not reside in the Principality of Liechtenstein, they need to entrust a local agency to handle it on their behalf. The basic materials required for trademark application are:
1. Trademark design;
2. Specific product items;
3. Chinese name and address of the applicant;
4. For those who declare priority, proof of priority and a German translation must be submitted.
The main process for applying for registration of a trademark in the Principality of Liechtenstein is: application acceptance examination approval issuance registration announcement. After the application is submitted, the examiner of the Economic Bureau first conducts a formal review, mainly examining whether the application requirements and classification information comply with regulations. After acceptance, the examiner will conduct substantive examination of the trademark, including the distinctiveness of the trademark and whether it violates the prohibition and prohibition clauses. After passing the examination, the trademark will be approved for registration and a registration certificate will be issued; If the review fails, a rejection notice will be issued and the applicant will be required to respond within the time limit specified in the rejection notice. After obtaining the certificate, an announcement will be arranged. The Principality of Liechtenstein has no objection procedure.
If everything goes smoothly, trademark registration in the Principality of Liechtenstein takes about 6 months; If it doesn't go smoothly and encounters rejection midway, the time will be extended.
The trademark registration in the Principality of Liechtenstein is valid for 10 years, starting from the date of application; Renewal can be processed within 12 months before the expiration date, with a grace period of 6 months; The renewal is valid for 10 years.
The invalidation or revocation application after trademark registration can generally be filed in accordance with the following provisions of the Liechtenstein Trademark Protection Law:
Article 32: (1) The trademark owner voluntarily applies for revocation; (2) Failure to renew a registered trademark in a timely manner upon expiration of its validity period; (3) The court ruled that the trademark is invalid.