The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM, the European trademark office) introduced this week a new “Fast Track” system for filing and prosecuting Community Trademark (CTM) applications in the European Union. The Fast Track system is similar to the USPTO’s “TEAS Plus” trademark filing system in the US, in that both systems require the applicant to select a description of goods/services from a preapproved list, which avoids the need to substantively examine the goods/services for indefiniteness. The Fast Track and TEAS Plus systems also both require payment of the application fee at the time of filing. However, while both systems offer a streamlined examination process, the Fast Track system promises examination and publication twice as fast as a regular CTM application, whereas the TEAS Plus system is only slightly faster than a regular US application. The complete details of the Fast Track system can be found on OHIM’s website here.

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Reposted from OHIM.