简析丹麦商标注册的法律制度、商标审查和有效期

　　丹麦商标制度

　　商标可以包含文字及其组合;包括标语，姓氏、公司名称或不动产名称;字母和数字;颜色和声音;图形和图画或特定的三维形状、商品装潢或包装。除传统商标注册之外，还可以注册集体商标、证明商标和服务商标。违反道德和公共秩序的商标不得注册。通用名称，如地理标志和名称、包含涉及公众利益的标记、旗帜、盾饰的商标不得注册。不具有显著特征的商标也不得注册，除非证明其通过使用获得了显著特征。在丹麦零售服务可取得商标，前提是所涉及的服务的性质必须有明确定义。　像大多数欧盟国家一样，在《保护知识产权巴黎公约》成员国第一次提出商标注册申请之后6个月内在丹麦申请国家商标时，如提出要求，申请可以取得优先权。国际商标注册可以建立在丹麦商标注册的基础之上。同样的，根据《马德里协定》，指定丹麦的商标国际注册具有与该商标在丹麦注册相同的法律效力。值得注意的是，丹麦的商标申请也适用于格陵兰岛和法罗群岛。2011年1月1日起，共同体商标注册也适用于格陵兰岛，但不适用于法罗群岛。

　　丹麦商标审查

　　丹麦国家商标申请提交后，将进行相应审查。审查内容包括形式、分类、清晰度、描述性、显著特征、存在混淆的可能性或是否与在先权利构成冲突。如果发现了在先权利，须告知申请人，但是引用本身并不构成拒绝商标注册的理由。如果要使用在先权利阻止商标注册，在先权利人必须提出异议。因此强烈建议建立监督服务，确保持有注册商标的客户知悉应该对哪些新申请的商标提出异议。

　　一旦审查完成，商标将进入为期2个月的异议期。如果到期前没有提交异议，商标就能最终取得注册。

　　对于商标申请的异议可以基于冲突的商标注册的在先权利。但也可以基于商标不具有显著特征;具有误导性、混淆性或诋毁性;侵犯著作权，姓名、公司名称的在先权或工业设计权等理由。未经授权使用受国家保护的徽章、标记等的国际规则也可以成为提出异议的理由。

　　丹麦国家商标注册授予持有人在登记范围内的产品和/或服务上独家使用该注册商标的权利。商标持有人也有反对后继构成冲突的商标的权利，就混淆性相似商标的侵权行为提起诉讼的权利，申请海关当局查没进口仿冒品的权利，商标授权和转让的权利等。

　　丹麦商标有效期

　　注册商标自注册之日起生效，有效期10年。此后以每10年为一期续展注册。注册之日起5年后，商标适用于使用要求。因此，在最初5年后，商标在面临基于未使用该商标而提起的商标注销行为时会相对脆弱。如果不能证明对该商标的使用，商标可能被完全注销，或在不能证明使用了该商标的特定产品或服务上注销。

Danish trademark system

Trademark can contain words and their combinations ; including slogan, surname, company name or real estate name ; letters and numbers ; color and sound ; graphics and drawings or specific three-dimensional shape, commodity decoration or packaging. In addition to traditional trademark registration, collective trademark, certification trademark and service trademark can also be registered. Trademarks violating morals and public order shall not be registered. Common names, such as geographical indications and names, trademarks involving public interests, flags, shields, shall not be registered. Trademarks that do not have salient features cannot be registered unless it is proved that they have acquired salient features through use. A trademark is available for retail services in Denmark provided that the nature of the services involved must be clearly defined. Like most European Union countries, when Denmark applies for national trademark within six months after the first application for trademark registration by the Paris Convention on the Protection of Intellectual Property, the application can obtain priority if requested. International trademark registration can be based on Danish trademark registration. Similarly, according to the Madrid Agreement, the international registration of the designated Danish trademark has the same legal effect as the registration of the trademark in Denmark. Notably, Danish trademark applications also apply to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. As of 1 January 2011, the Community trademark registration also applies to Greenland, but does not apply to the Faroe Islands.

Denmark Trademark Review

After the Danish national trademark application is submitted, the corresponding review will be conducted. The content of the review includes form, classification, clarity, description, salient features, possibility of confusion or whether it conflicts with prior rights. If prior rights are found, the applicant must be informed, but the reference does not in itself constitute a ground for refusal to register a trademark. If prior rights are to be used to prevent trademark registration, prior rights holders must object. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to establish supervision services to ensure that customers holding registered trademarks know which new trademarks should be challenged.

Once the review is completed, the trademark will enter a two-month objection period. If no objection is submitted before the expiration date, the trademark can finally be registered.

Objections to trademark applications may be based on prior rights to conflict trademark registration. But also can be based on trademark does not have obvious characteristics ; misleading, confusing or defamatory ; infringes the aboriginal right, name, company name prior right or industrial design right and other reasons. International rules, such as unauthorized use of nationally protected badges, markings, etc., could also justify objections.

Denmark ’ s national trademark registration grants holders the exclusive right to use the registered trademark in products and / or services within the scope of registration. The trademark holder also has the right to oppose the subsequent trademark conflict, the right to sue for the infringement of similar trademark confusion, the right to apply for customs authorities to check the import of counterfeit goods, trademark authorization and transfer rights.

Denmark trademark validity period

The registered trademark shall be valid for 10 years from the date of registration. Subsequently, the registration was renewed every 10 years. After 5 years of registration, the trademark shall apply to the requirements for use. Therefore, after the first five years, the trademark will be relatively vulnerable in the face of trademark cancellation based on the non-use of the trademark. If the use of the trade mark cannot be proved, the trade mark may be completely cancelled or cancelled on specific products or services that cannot be proved to have used the trade mark.