需要英国服务代表吗？马可波罗之旅

虽然最近发生的马可波罗案中有一些减轻责任的情节，但该案件的结果可能会让许多没有这种减轻责任情节的案件也能从危险边缘被救回来。

The recent Marco Polo case has some pretty mitigating circumstances but the result could allow many cases without such mitigating circumstance to be brought back from the brink.

在我和搭档 Kirsten Gilbert 代理的案件*1 里，由于商标持有人无法控制的各种情况以及英国知识产权局（UKIPO）目前处理指定英国的国际注册送达地址的做法，持有人无法为针对其提起的无效行动进行抗辩。简而言之， UKIPO在该案件中将无效文件送达到持有人的澳大利亚注册地址，而该地址恰好是持有人的会计师的地址，并且该会计师的实际办公室在程序期间因政府封控而关闭。有鉴于此，持有人未能提交答辩，从而导致其注册被撤销，等待上诉。

In the case*1 my partner, Kirsten Gilbert, and I pleaded that owing to various circumstances outside of the control of the proprietor and the current practice of the UKIPO dealing with UK address for service for International Registrations designating the UK, that it was not in a position to defend an invalidation action filed against it. In brief summary, the proprietor was served invalidation papers by the UKIPO to its registered Australian address, which happened to be the proprietor’s accountant’s address whose physical offices were closed due to a government lockdown for the duration of the proceedings. In light of this, no defence was filed and the proprietor’s registration was cancelled pending appeal.

*1 https://www.ipo.gov.uk/tm/t-decisionmaking/t-challenge/t-challenge-decision-results/o68122.pdf

这种情形很明显有上诉理由，但该决定更关注的是 UKIPO 向未指定英国代表人的持有人发送实物信件的当前做法。Clarivate公司的Rob Reading强调了该问题的严重性，他在领英上发帖*2 称，“目前有 164,788 个有效的国际注册（IR）指定了英国。其中超过 90%（近 146,000个IR）没有在UKIPO指定英国代表人”。因此，该问题具有相当普遍性，持有人可能在不知情的情况下就丧失了权利。

It is clear that these circumstances would warrant an appeal but the decision looks at the actual practice of the UKIPO sending physical post to proprietors, who are not represented by a representative with a UK address, more generally. The scale of the issue was highlighted by Rob Reading of Clarivate who posted on LinkedIn *2 that “There are currently 164,788 active IR records that designate the UK. Over 90% of these (nearly 146,000 records) DO NOT have a UK address for service at the UKIPO”. The issue is therefore very wide spread with proprietors losing rights seemingly without their knowledge.

*2 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:

6987432072109809664/

UKIPO 正就如何处理这些可能的后果/影响寻求外部法律建议，目前解决方案尚未知。那么，这146,000 名国际商标持有人、数千名英国“克隆”商标的持有人、许多商标处于未决程序的人以及那些已丧失权利或错失对新申请提交异议机会的人，该何去何从呢？我们完全无从得知。

The UKIPO are seeking external legal advice on how to deal with these implications so the solution is still unknown. So where does this leave the possible 146,000 proprietors, the thousands of owners of UK “cloned” trade marks, the many now pending proceedings and those who have already lost rights or missed opportunities to object to newly filed applications? We simply do not yet know.

2023年12月31日起，UKIPO的大多数程序都将要求必须指定一个英国的服务代表，这一要求将影响上文提到的尚未指定英国服务代表的146,000个国际商标及数千件克隆英国商标的权利。此外，还有进一步的倾向，即仅有英国服务代表仍不够，该代表还得满足适当的英国资质。虽然后一项要求并非一定会实施，但未来似乎朝着这一方向发展。

On 31 December 2023, there will be a requirement for the majority of actions before the UKIPO to require a representative with a UK address for service, which will affect the 146,000 cases listed above and thousands of the cloned UK Trade mark rights with representatives without a UK address. Additionally, there is momentum behind a push for requirements to go further whereby merely having an address in the UK would not suffice and that the representative will require suitable UK qualification as well. Although this latter requirement is not a guarantee, the future looks to be moving in this direction.

以上三个因素共同作用下，我们认为宜尽早为您的英国注册指定英国合格代理人，理由如下：

1. 以避免混淆、迟收或者遗漏来自UKIPO的重要通知（例如无效文件或有潜在冲突的新申请）；

2. 以获得代理人适当且合格的建议；

3. 当UKIPO 发布新的实务做法、指南和要求时，无需仓促采取弥补措施；

4. 以免延误时机，无需等到 2023 年 12 月所有英国商标持有人都必须指定英国服务代表的绝限前夕才匆忙行动。

With these three factors playing out together, we see real benefit in appointing UK qualified representatives sooner rather than later, for the following reasons:

1. No confusion, delay or missing of important communications from the UKIPO such as invalidation papers or notification of newly filed, and possibly conflicting, applications; 

2. The provision of appropriate and qualified advice;

3. No need to play catch up when the UKIPO issue new practices, guides and requirements;

4. Avoiding delays in the processing of applications to appoint representatives in the run up to the December 2023 deadline for the owners of all UK TM registrations to appoint UK representatives.