Montenegro Trademark Information

Montenegro is located in Southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It has coastline on the Adriatic Sea and is bordered by Croatia in the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the northwest, Serbia in the northeast, Kosovo in the east, and Albania in the southeast. The population is estimated at 672,180 with a GDP of $6.51 billion.

The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. After World War I, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU - allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006.

Trademarks are assigned through the Intellectual Property Office of Montenegro. Montenegro is a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 10 years and may be renewed for further periods of 10 years each.