Brussels, 24/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The five main umbrella groups of companies holding EU trademarks have written to the European Commission asking it to arrange the long-promised research into reform of the EU trademark system (see EUROPE 9784). They write that they fully back the Council's view that it is time to launch an in-depth study of the commercial trademark system in Europe, looking at the broad functioning of EU and national trademark schemes in order to harmonise procedures, practices and services. The organisations want the research to cover the following: how the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)'s Madrid Protocol meshes with the EU and national systems; removing excess red tape; transparency over the funding of national offices; organising anti-counterfeiting programmes; the funding of the work of the EU's Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) and cutting the cost of renewing EC trademark protection. The letter was signed by the European association of trademark industries (AIM), the European business confederation (BusinessEurope), the European Commerical Trademark Association (ECTA), the International Trademark Association (INTA) and MARQUES, the association of European commercial trademark holders. (M.B./transl.fl)