PRISTINA, KOSOVO - Revalidation applications and/or new applications for trademarks, patents and designs may be filed in Kosovo as of November 19, 2007, being the date from which the Kosovo Intellectual Property Office will start working.
According to Zivko Mijatovic & Partners, the rights eligible for revalidation are all the rights registered in Serbia/Yugoslavia before November 19, 2007. All the rights applied for, but not registered before November 19, 2007, in Serbia, will be eligible for re-applications, maintaining the original application dates.
The documents needed for re-validation of former Serbian/Yugoslav rights are as follows:
1. Proof of valid right in Serbia/Yugoslavia.
2. A simply signed Power of Attorney.
According to the IP law in Kosovo , the time limit for effecting the revalidation will be 12 months starting from November 19, 2007, (i.e. until November 18, 2008, inclusive).
All the former Serbian/Yugoslav rights which are not revalidated during this period will cease to be valid in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, the ways of dealing with international registrations designating Serbia is still unknown.
As of November 19, 2007, Kosovo should be taken as a separate IP jurisdiction, and all the new filings will have to be done separately from the Serbian ones.