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Welcome to the official website of the Commerce Department where you can find information about the services provided and ongoing related initiatives

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We register Trademarks and Designs as well as patent inventions, issue Trading, Import and Export Licences; we also register Craftspersons and host the Malta SOLVIT Centre.

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LINKEDIN ACCOUNT

The Commerce Department would like to inform the public that it has launched its official LinkedIn account. The account can be accessed at: https://linkedin.com/company/commercedepartment

03.06.2026

CP 17 – THE DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OF SLOGANS

The Intellectual Property Offices of the European Union Intellectual Property Network continue to collaborate in the context of converging trade mark and design practices. This Common Practice establishes the concept of a slogan and a non-exhaustive list of factors for assessing the distinctive character of slogans, as well as examples to illustrate the applicable criteria and different outcomes. It serves as a reference for the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property, and Member States’ Intellectual Property Offices (MS IPOs) – collectively referred to as IPOs; User Associations (UAs); applicants and representatives.

16.02.2026

CP 16 – SIGNS DESCRIBING THE SUBJECT MATTER OF GOODS AND/OR SERVICES

The Intellectual Property Offices of the European Union Intellectual Property Network continue to collaborate in the context of converging trade mark and design practices. They have now agreed on an Common Practice that establishes a common understanding of the notion of subject matter, as well as general principles on how to perform the assessment of signs describing the subject matter of the goods and/or services for which protection is sought. It also provides a non-exhaustive list of examples illustrating signs that are considered descriptive of the subject matter of the goods and/or services, as well as examples of signs that are not. It serves as a reference for the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property, and Member States’ Intellectual Property Offices (MS IPOs) – collectively referred to as IPOs; as well as for User Associations (UAs); applicants and representatives.

16.02.2026

CP15: Comparison of goods and services: treatment of terms lacking clarity and precision and common interpretation of Canon criteria and other factors

The Intellectual Property Offices of the European Union Intellectual Property Network continue to collaborate in the context of converging trade mark and design practices. They have now agreed on an additional Common Practice document on trade marks with the aim of establishing some general principles on the comparison of goods and services, more specifically, on the treatment of terms lacking clarity and precision and the common interpretation of the Canon criteria and other factors, as well as some examples to illustrate the agreed statements.

Please visit the CP15 page on the EUIPN website for more information: https://www.tmdn.org/publicwebsite/#/practices/2718939

12.03.2025

CP12. Evidence in Trade Mark Appeal Proceedings: Filing, Structure and Presentation of Evidence, and the Treatment of Confidential Evidence

The Intellectual Property Offices of the European Union Intellectual Property Network continue to collaborate in the context of converging trade mark and design practices. They have now agreed on an additional Common Practice/Common Recommendations document on trade marks with the aim of providing general principles regarding evidence in trade mark appeal proceedings, in particular, its types, means, sources and identification of relevant dates, as well as its structure and presentation, and the treatment of confidential evidence.

The new CP12 document can be accessed on: https://www.tmdn.org/#/practices/1819736

09.05.2024

CP13. Trade mark applications made in bad faith

The Intellectual Property Offices of the European Union Intellectual Property Network continue to collaborate in the context of converging trade mark and design practices. They have now agreed on an additional Common Practice document on trade marks with the aim of providing a common understanding of the general notion of bad faith and of other concepts, including terminology related to its assessment, as well as factors and scenarios that may prove relevant in the assessment.

Please visit here for more information: https://www.tmdn.org/#/practices/2537136

06.05.2024

CP14: Trade marks contrary to public policy or to accepted principles of morality

The Intellectual Property Offices of the European Union Intellectual Property Network continue to collaborate in the context of converging trade mark and design practices. They have now agreed on an additional Common Practice document on trade marks with the aim of providing a common understanding on the concepts of public policy and accepted principles of morality, clarifying the relationship and the differences between these two concepts. In addition, it establishes common criteria for the assessment of whether a sign is contrary to public policy and/or to accepted principles of morality and provides illustrative examples of the criteria and the groups of signs identified.

Please visit the following link for more information on CP14 via TMDN: https://www.tmdn.org/publicwebsite/#/practices/2547782

19.04.2024

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