2

Dec

-

Dates Pending

02

Dec

2026

Advanced Trade Mark Practice: Registration, Strategy and Enforcement in Cyprus, the EU and Worldwide

FROM

€

120

3 VERIFIED CPD POINTS

3

HOURS

English

Eleni Papacharalambous

description

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Trade marks are increasingly important not only as legal rights, but as valuable commercial assets requiring careful protection, management and enforcement.

This advanced seminar provides a practical examination of trade mark registration and protection in Cyprus, the European Union and internationally. It is designed to move beyond the basic registration process and focus on the strategic decisions practitioners and businesses must make when developing, protecting and enforcing a trade mark portfolio.

Participants will consider how to select the appropriate national, EU or international registration route, conduct and assess clearance searches, identify the correct applicant and ownership structure, and draft effective specifications of goods and services.

The seminar will also examine absolute and relative grounds for refusal, likelihood of confusion, marks with a reputation, proof of genuine use, oppositions, invalidity and revocation proceedings, as well as the increasingly important issue of bad-faith trade mark applications.

Particular emphasis will be placed on practical strategy: assessing registration and infringement risk, identifying potential conflicts before filing, managing international protection and determining the most appropriate response where trade mark rights are challenged or infringed.

The seminar is suitable for lawyers, in-house counsel and professionals involved in the ownership, protection or management of brands who already have a basic understanding of intellectual property and wish to develop a more advanced and commercially focused understanding of trade mark practice.

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course content

Dates and times

Course content

_{Unit 1: Choosing the Appropriate Protection Route}

Cyprus national registration
European Union trademark registration
International registration through the Madrid System
Advantages and risks of each route
Territorial coverage, costs and administrative efficiency
The unitary character and vulnerability of an EUTM
National filings as a strategic alternative or complement to EU protection
Priority claims, transformation and conversion
Selecting filing territories based on present use, expansion plans and enforcement needs

_{Unit 2: Clearance Searches and Pre-filing Strategy}

Legal and commercial importance of pre-filing clearance
Searching the Cyprus Register, TMview, EUIPO eSearch, WIPO’s Global Brand Database and Madrid Monitor
Identical, phonetic, conceptual and figurative searches
Searching company names, domain names, social-media platforms and unregistered signs
Assessing the similarity of signs and goods or services
Earlier registered and unregistered rights
Well-known marks and marks with a reputation
Freedom-to-operate analysis
Managing search results and communicating risk to the client

_{Unit 3: Application Drafting, Classification and Examination}

Identifying the correctapplicant and establishing ownership

Protecting word marks, figurative marks, shape marks, position marks, sound marks and other non-traditional signs
Drafting clear and precise specifications
Nice Classification principles
Avoiding specifications that are unnecessarily narrow or excessively broad
Absolute grounds for refusal:

- Lack of distinctive character

- Descriptiveness

- Customary indications

- Public policy and morality

- Protected geographical indications

- Signs consisting of certain shapes or other product characteristics.

Acquired distinctiveness through use
Responding to examination refusals

_{Unit 4: Oppositions, Invalidity, Revocation and Bad Faith}

Distinguishing opposition, invalidity and revocation proceedings
Relative grounds for refusal
Likelihood of confusion:

- The relevant public

- Degree of attention

- Similarity of signs

- Similarity of goods and services

- Distinctiveness of the earlier mark

- The interdependence principle.

Protection of marks with a reputation
Proof of genuine use
Earlier unregistered signs and other prior rights
Bad-faith applications:

- Knowledge of third-party use

- Dishonest intention

- Origin and history of the sign

- Commercial logic behind the filing

- The overall assessment of objective circumstances

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suitable for

COURSE PREVIEW

HAVE A LOOK
INSIDE THE COURSE

details

course details

Methodology

Live session - online.
Interactive lecture withPowerPoint presentation.
Reference/background materialswill be provided.
Case studies and analysis, andgroup discussion.
Q & A and practicalexamples.

Funding

The seminar is non funded by the HRDA.

Admission Requirements

There are no pre-requisites to join this course.

Who is this aimed at

This course is suitable for:

- Lawyers (corporate, commercial, IP)

- Corporate service providers and fiduciary professionals

- In-house counsel and compliance officers- Accountants and business consultants

- Professionals in company formation, branding, and international business

- Advisers supporting Cyprus-based businesses expanding to EU/international markets

The programme is suitable for professionals who:

- Handle trade mark registration and protection

- Need practical knowledge of Cyprus, EU, and international systems

- Want to identify risks, structure filings, and manage portfolios

- Basic legal or business knowledge is expected. No prior trade mark expertise required.

Certificate Awarded

A Training Certificate will be awarded to those participants who will successfully complete the training.

Coming Soon

More details about this course will be uploaded soon.

INSTRUCTOR

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Eleni Papacharalambous

Eleni Papacharalambous acquired her law degree from the University of Exeter in the UK, before going on to complete the Bar Vocational Course with Gray’s Inn. She then successfully completed the Cyprus Bar Examinations and is a member of the Nicosia Bar Association.

Eleni was the Head of the Intellectual Property Department at Papacharalambous & Angelides Law Firm from 2004 to 2014. Since 2014 Eleni is a Partner at Koushos Korfiotis Papacharalambous LLC and leads the IP Department, dealing with all aspects of IP Law.

Among the client she advises are international companies in the pharmaceutical industry and famous brand owners. Eleni’s aim is always to offer high-standard services tailored to each client’s individual needs, providing the full service from the acquisition, exploitation and protection of IP rights to their commercial use and the handling of infringement, cancellation and any IP dispute issues.

Eleni attends IP conferences and seminars in Cyprus and abroad annually, enhancing her knowledge on the latest issues and challenges in IP practice.

Eleni was a member of the Harmonization Committee of the European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA) from the 1^stof July 2008 until the 30^th of June 2021, a member of the ECTA’s Anti-Counterfeiting Committee from the 1^st of July 2021 until the 31^stof May 2024. Since the 1^st of September 2023 Eleni is a member of the ECTA’s Professional Affairs & Membership Committee.

Eleni is also currently a Member of the Board of the Cyprus Intellectual Property Rights Association (EDPI) and a Member of the IP Committee of the Cyprus Bar Association.

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MORE ABOUT INSTRUCTOR

COLLABORATORS

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTORs

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frequently asked
questions

QUESTION 01

Do I need to be registered on the ERMIS Portal?

Yes, if you are registering for a course that is HRDA accredited, all participants (either receiving funding or not) will have to access and register as natural persons on the ERMIS Portal. If you are receiving funding and you are being registered for continuous professional/vocational training by your employer, your employer should also be registered with the ERMIS platform as a legal person. Contact us if you have any difficulty registering as a natural person or a legal person.

QUESTION 02

Will I receive a certificate at the end of the training?

Yes, you will receive a Certificate of Attendance from ELTRC or the relevant awarding body.

QUESTION 03

Do you have terms and conditions for seminar attendance?

Yes. You may find our terms and conditions here.

QUESTION 04

Will I receive the notes for the lesson and have access to recordings?

Yes, you will be given the course materials through an online platform and you will be allowed to download and keep the course materials and specimens for certain courses. Recordings will also be available in the drive for three months.