Article 159

1. Where a designation of the Union through an international registration has been refused or ceases to have effect, the holder of the international registration may request the conversion of the designation of the Union:

(a) into a national trade mark application pursuant to Articles 112, 113 and 114;

into a designation of a Member State party to the Madrid Protocol, provided that on the date when conversion was requested it was possible to have designated that Member State directly under the Madrid Protocol. Articles 112, 113 and 114 of this Regulation shall apply.

2. The national trade mark application or the designation of a Member State party to the Madrid Protocol resulting from the conversion of the designation of the Union through an international registration shall enjoy, in respect of the Member State concerned, the date of the international registration pursuant to Article 3(4) of the Madrid Protocol or the date of the extension to the Union pursuant to Article 3ter(2) of the Madrid Protocol, if the latter was made subsequent to the international registration, or the date of priority of that registration and, where appropriate, the seniority of a trade mark of that State claimed under Article 153 of this Regulation.

3. The request for conversion shall be published.

4. The request for conversion of an international registration designating the Union into a national trade mark application shall include the information and indications referred to in Article 113(1).

5. Where conversion is requested pursuant to this Article and Article 112(5) of this Regulation following a failure to renew the international registration, the request referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article shall contain an indication to that effect and the date on which the protection expired. The period of three months provided for in Article 112(5) of this Regulation shall begin to run on the day following the last day on which the renewal may still be effected pursuant to Article 7(4) of the Madrid Protocol.

6. Article 113(3) and (5) shall apply to the request for conversion referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article mutatis mutandis.

7. The request for conversion of an international registration designating the Union into a designation of a Member State party to the Madrid Protocol shall include the indications and elements referred to in paragraphs 4 and 5.

8. Article 113(3) shall apply to the request for conversion referred to in paragraph 7 of this Article mutatis mutandis. The Office shall also reject the request for conversion where the conditions to designate the Member State which is a party to the Madrid Protocol or to the Madrid Agreement were fulfilled neither on the date of the designation of the Union nor on the date on which the application for conversion was received or, pursuant to the last sentence of Article 113(1), is deemed to have been received by the Office.

9. Where the request for conversion referred to in paragraph 7 complies with the requirements of this Regulation and rules adopted pursuant to it, the Office shall transmit the request without delay to the International Bureau. The Office shall inform the holder of the international registration of the date of transmission.

10. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts specifying:
(a) the details to be contained in the requests for conversion referred to in paragraphs 4 and 7;
(b) the details to be contained in the publication of the requests for conversion pursuant to paragraph 3.
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 163(2).