• The Indian Cabinet has approved the proposal for India’s Accession to the Nice, Vienna and Locarno Agreements, that would harmonise the classification systems for examination of trademark and design applications, in line with the systems followed globally.

About Agreements:

• The Nice Agreement on the International classification of goods and services for the purposes of registration of trademarks.
• The Vienna Agreement for setting up an International classification of the figurative elements of trademarks.
• The Locarno Agreement for establishing an International classification for industrial designs.
• All three agreements are administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Analysis:

• This will help the Intellectual Property Office in India to harmonise the classification systems for examinational of trademark and design applications, in line with the classification systems followed globally.
• It would give an opportunity to include Indian designs, figurative elements and goods in the international classification systems.
• The accession is expected to instil confidence in foreign investors in relation to protection of IPs in India.
• The accession would also facilitate in exercising rights in decision making processes regarding review and revision of the classifications under the agreement.