The first change is driven by the desire to improve efficiency, as the Office will not spend time examining or processing mail for applications where no payment has been made.
At present, CTM applicants can pay the basic fee within one month of filing the application. About 4% of CTM applications are examined but never paid for, and OHIM says that proportion is rising.
The second change means that applications will be published in half the time it takes regular applications, or even less.
To be eligible for the fast track procedure, applicants must (1) select the goods and services from OHIM’s harmonised database and (2) pay at the end of the application process or immediately after submission. Additionally, the application should not trigger any deficiency finding at the time of submission or during examination.
More details are available on OHIM’s website.
