The agreement, struck at an extraordinary meeting of OHIM’s Administrative Board and Budget Committee in Brussels last week, comes as part of an attempt to address OHIM’s surplus, which stands at €300 million and is growing.
It will now be put to the European Commission, as part of a joint proposal from member states and OHIM. If the Commission accepts the deal, it is likely to publish a proposal and impact assessment to change the fee regulation, which could be approved by member states’ representatives before the end of this year.
The Commission last year argued that fees for users should be cut to stop the backlog growing, and the levels of fees should be reviewed automatically. It also proposed a study on the functioning of the CTM system.
But some member states...