Newsletter-21

356 NEWSLETTER 2016 Patent and Utility Model With the Bill, certain regulations on the patent and utility models are introduced, such as, simplifying and fastening the process of grant- ing patents, and utilitymodels for eliminating the problems encountered in practice, abolishing unexamined patent system that causes major legal problems between the right holders and the firms, and is open to misusing, objection to the granted patents following the registration, preparation of research report for the utility model applications, grant- ing the right of ownership for the findings of the university members to the higher education institutions for the purpose of revealing the finding potential of the university members, and integrating them into the economy. In this regard, it is aimed to enhance the structure of the patent and utility model system. Design Pursuant to the Third Part of the Bill entitled ‘Design’, it is in- tended to bring solutions to the problems encountered in practice, and ensuring full compliance with the European Union regulations and international agreements, particularly with the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs in order to render the legislation systematic and simple for finalizing the transactions in line with the needs of the users quickly, and with minimal bureaucracy. Although Decree-Law No. 554 includes the ‘Industrial Design’ term, the Third Part of the Bill includes only the word ‘Design’ due to the fact that a product where the design is used or applied to does not need to be produced by industrial means. In accordance with another embodiment of the Bill, the procedures and principles related to the examination of the application for regis- tration of design is re-defined. The registration requests that are not in conformity with the definition of design and product, this includes any improper use against public order and public ethics, becomes public in terms of religious, historical and cultural values, and the inappropriate use of the logos that are not granted to be registered, and the registra- tion requests that are recognized as not new shall be refused ex-officio by the TPI. Additionally, as to another important regulation embodied