June, 2010
Circular Letter Nº. 64
NON-TRADITIONAL TRADEMARKS.*
Dear Sirs,
Among the visually perceptible distinctive signs which may be registered as trademarks in Brazil (Article
122, of the Industrial Property Law), the Brazilian PTO has begun to grant registrations on "non-traditional"
trademarks consisting of composite or device signs which are indicated in the paragraphs that follow.
Since the Brazilian Industrial Property Law does not allow the registration of trademarks which are not
visually perceptible, non-traditional trademarks consisting of sounds, scents and taste cannot be registered in
Brazil. Because the registration of non-traditional trademarks is a new issue in Brazil (except for three-dimensional
trademarks), the PTO is still studying the best way to analyze this type of trademarks, especially with regard to the
representation of the applied-for mark in the initial filing petition.
Besides three-dimensional trademarks, the following non-traditional trademarks have been registered by
the Brazilian PTO:
¾ holograms (photographical plate or film where the device obtained through holography is affixed, the
image of which changes depending on the observation angle), which have been registered as composite
trademarks. Example:
Registration No. 800243056, in Class 36 (financial services)
Owner: Visa International Service Association
¾ motion and multimedia marks, which have been registered as device trademarks that represent
movement. Example:
[ Rio de Janeiro ]
Av. República do Chile, 230 - 3º andar - Centro
20031-170 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil
Tel.: (21) 2102-4212 - Fax: (21) 2524-3344
[email protected]
www.daniel.adv.br
[ São Paulo ]
Rua Joaquim Floriano, 413 – 13º andar - Itaim Bibi
04534-011 - São Paulo - SP - Brasil
Tel.: (11) 2103-9107 - Tel/Fax: (11) 2103-9124
Registration No. 826006248, in Class 09
Owner: Nokia Corporation
¾ gestural trademarks (composed of gestures), which have been registered as device trademarks.
Example:
Registration No. 817935487 in Class 35 (beverages)
Owner: Companhia de Bebidas das Américas - AMBEV
¾ position trademarks, that is, those which are defined by the position they appear on the product, which
have been registered as device trademarks. Example:
Registration No. 815547480 in Class 25 (footwear)
Owner: New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
[ Rio de Janeiro ]
Av. República do Chile, 230 - 3º andar - Centro
20031-170 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil
Tel.: (21) 2102-4212 - Fax: (21) 2524-3344
2
[email protected]
www.daniel.adv.br
[ São Paulo ]
Rua Joaquim Floriano 413, 13º andar - Itaim Bibi
04534-011 - São Paulo - SP - Brasil
Tel.: (11) 2103-9107 - Tel/Fax: (11) 2103-9124
¾ color trademarks, which have been registered as composite or device trademarks, provided the colors
have been combined in a distinctive manner. Example:
Registration No. 006088244 in Class 36 (financial services)
Owner: Visa International Service Association
¾ touch trademarks, which have been registered as device or tridimensional trademarks and which
protect the surface of the product. Example:
Registration No. 820817155 in Class 32 (beverages)
Owner: Sociètè des Produits Nestlé S.A.
¾ trade dresses, which have been registered as composite or device trademarks. Example:
Registration No. 818989505 in Class 03 (cleaning products)
Owner: Reckitt Benckiser (Brasil) Ltda.
[ Rio de Janeiro ]
Av. República do Chile, 230 - 3º andar - Centro
20031-170 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil
Tel.: (21) 2102-4212 - Fax: (21) 2524-3344
3
[email protected]
www.daniel.adv.br
[ São Paulo ]
Rua Joaquim Floriano 413, 13º andar - Itaim Bibi
04534-011 - São Paulo - SP - Brasil
Tel.: (11) 2103-9107 - Tel/Fax: (11) 2103-9124
In spite of the fact that there are few registrations on non-traditional trademarks in Brazil, it is important to
note that the Brazilian PTO has already granted registrations on this type of trademark, even though no normative
act governing the matter and establishing standard procedures to be followed by applicants have been issued so
far.
There is an increasing tendency to register these types of trademarks, where new technologies play an
important role in facilitating their protection. Based on this fact and on the registrations that were already granted by
the Brazilian PTO, we believe that companies which have interest in using and registering non-traditional
trademarks should begin filing applications as quickly as possible. Because Brazil is a first-to-file country, the
sooner the application is filed, the better.
DANIEL ADVOGADOS
Patricia A. Lusoli**
[email protected]
(11) 2103-9128 or
(21) 2102-4212 - Ext: 9128
* © Autor 2010
** Partner from DANIEL ADVOGADOS.
[ Rio de Janeiro ]
Av. República do Chile, 230 - 3º andar - Centro
20031-170 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil
Tel.: (21) 2102-4212 - Fax: (21) 2524-3344
4
[email protected]
www.daniel.adv.br
[ São Paulo ]
Rua Joaquim Floriano 413, 13º andar - Itaim Bibi
04534-011 - São Paulo - SP - Brasil
Tel.: (11) 2103-9107 - Tel/Fax: (11) 2103-9124