Article 153a

1. The holder of an international registration designating the Union may, as from the date of publication of the effects of such registration pursuant to Article 152(2), claim at the Office the seniority of an earlier trade mark registered in a Member State, including a trade mark registered in the Benelux countries, or registered under international arrangements having effect in a Member State, as provided for in Article 35.

2. When the seniority is claimed before the date referred to in paragraph 1, the seniority claim shall be deemed to have been received by the Office on that date.

3. A seniority claim under paragraph 1 of this Article shall fulfil the requirements referred to in Article 35 and shall contain information to enable its examination against those requirements.

4. If the requirements governing the claiming of seniority referred to in paragraph 3 and specified in the implementing act adopted pursuant to paragraph 6 are not fulfilled, the Office shall invite the holder of the international registration to remedy the deficiencies. If the deficiencies are not remedied within a period to be specified by the Office, the Office shall reject the claim.

5. Where the Office has accepted the seniority claim, or where a seniority claim has been withdrawn or cancelled by the Office, the Office shall inform the International Bureau accordingly.

6. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts specifying the details to be contained in a seniority claim under paragraph 1 of this Article and the details of the information to be notified pursuant to paragraph 5 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 163(2).