TRADE MARKS ORDINANCE
(4) Nothing in this Ordinance shall entitle the proprietor of a certification trade mark that consists of signs or indications described in subsection (3) to interfere with or restrain the use by any person of any signs or indications the use of which is in accordance with honest practices in industrial or commercial matters (in particular, by a person who is entitled to use a geographical name).
65. Application for registration as certification trade mark
(1) An application for the registration of a mark under section 64 shall be made to the Registrar in writing in the prescribed manner by the person proposed to be registered as the proprietor thereof.
(2) The provisions of section 13(2) and of section 13(4) to (7) shall have effect in relation to an application under this section as they have effect in relation to an application under section 13(1).
(3) In dealing under the said provisions with an application under this section the tribunal shall have regard to the like considerations, so far as relevant, as if the application were an application under section 13 and to any other considerations relevant to applications under this section, including the desirability of securing that a certification trade mark shall comprise some indication that it is such a trade mark.
(4) An applicant for the registration of a mark under this section shall transmit to the Registrar draft regulations for governing the use thereof, which shall include provisions as to the cases in which the proprietor is to certify goods or services and to authorize the use of the trade mark, and may contain any other provisions that the Registrar may require or permit to be inserted therein (including provisions conferring a right of appeal to the Registrar against any refusal of the proprietor to certify goods or services or to authorize the use of the trade mark in accordance with the regulations). The regulations, if approved, shall be deposited with the Registrar and shall be open to inspection in like manner as the register.
(5) The Registrar shall consider the application with regard to the following matters—
- (a) whether the applicant is competent to certify the goods or services in respect of which the mark is to be registered;
- (b) whether the draft regulations are satisfactory; and
- (c) whether in all the circumstances the registration applied for would be to the public advantage;
and may either—
- (i) refuse to accept the application; or
- (ii) accept the application, and approve the regulations, either without modification and unconditionally or subject to any conditions or limitations, or to any amendments or modifications of the application or of the regulations, which he may think requisite having regard to any of the matters aforesaid;
but, except in the case of acceptance and approval without modification and unconditionally, the Registrar shall not decide the matter without giving to the applicant an opportunity of being heard:
Provided that the Registrar may, at the request of the applicant, consider the application with regard to any of the matters aforesaid before the application has been accepted, so however that the Registrar shall be at liberty to reconsider any matter on which he has given a decision under this proviso if any amendment or modification is thereafter made in the application or in the draft regulations.
(6) Any decision of the Registrar under this section shall be subject to appeal to the Court.
75. Certificate of validity
In any legal proceeding in which the validity of the registration of a registered trade mark comes into question and is decided in favour of the proprietor of the trade mark, the Court may certify to that effect, and if it so certifies then in any subsequent legal proceeding in which the validity of the registration comes into question the proprietor of the trade mark on obtaining a final order or judgment in his favour shall have his full costs, charges and expenses as between solicitor and client, unless in the subsequent proceeding the Court certifies that he ought not to have them.
