Article 120

Professional representatives

1. Representation of natural or legal persons before the Office may only be undertaken by:
   • (a) a legal practitioner qualified in one of the Member States of the European Economic Area and having his place of business within the European Economic Area, to the extent that he is entitled, within the said Member State, to act as a representative in trade mark matters;
   • (b) professional representatives whose names appear on the list maintained for this purpose by the Office. Representatives acting before the Office shall, at the request of the Office or, where appropriate, of the other party to the proceedings, file with it a signed authorisation for insertion on the files.
2. Any natural person who fulfils the following conditions may be entered on the list of professional representatives:
   • (a) being a national of one of the Member States of the European Economic Area;
   • (b) having his place of business or employment in the European Economic Area;
   • (c) being entitled to represent natural or legal persons in trade mark matters before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property or before the central industrial property office of a Member State of the European Economic Area. Where, in the State concerned, the entitlement is not conditional upon the requirement of special professional qualifications, persons applying to be entered on the list who act in trade mark matters before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property or those central industrial property offices shall have habitually so acted for at least five years. However, persons whose professional qualification to represent natural or legal persons in trade mark matters before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property or those central industrial property offices is officially recognised in accordance with the regulations laid down by the State concerned shall not be required to have exercised the profession.
3. Entry shall be effected upon request, accompanied by a certificate furnished by the central industrial property office of the Member State concerned, indicating that the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 are fulfilled.
4. The Executive Director may grant an exemption from:
   • (a) the requirement in the second sentence of paragraph 2(c), if the applicant furnishes proof that he has acquired the requisite qualification in another way;
   • (b) the requirement set out in paragraph 2(a) in the case of highly qualified professionals, provided that the requirements set out in paragraph 2(b) and (c) are fulfilled.
5. A person may be removed from the list of professional representatives at his request or when no longer in a capacity to represent. The amendments of the list of professional representatives shall be published in the Official Journal of the Office.