Insights

Download our strategic guide to European patent strategies, from the Unitary Patent to national validations and a mixed approach, along with expert guidance on how to select the optimal strategy according to your market needs, budget and business objectives. 

What happens if you use a trademark in a virtual, rather than a real-world environment? Omar Hassan shares the practical guidelines released in 2024 by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.

IP licensing can provide companies with additional (or core) revenue streams, enable them to raise brand awareness and enhance their reputation, and extend their brands into new markets and geographies. However, if IP ownership or validity is unclear, it can also pose significant financial and business risk.

Louis Vuitton has successfully opposed an EU trademark application for ‘XL Sporting’ based on the trademark reputation of its iconic LV monogram. The EUIPO’s Opposition Division found that the differences between the signs were eclipsed by similarities in the arrangement of the two letters, thereby creating a similar visual overall impression, as Florence Chapin explains. 

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2025 from the Novagraaf team!

Counterfeit purchases spike before seasonal holidays and during designated sales periods, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the January sales. Protect your brand, products and consumers effectively this year by targeting your online brand protection efforts on the most critical channels. 

Find out more about prior art and freedom to operate (FTO) searching, two types of patent searches with distinct objectives at different phases of innovation.

Does the use of a fictitious date constitute a deceptive trademark in the EU? This is the question currently before the CJEU. Read our article to find out more.

In the latest trademark battle of the UK supermarkets, Iceland has filed an application to register ‘King Prawn Ring’. Is this a genuine attempt to protect its iconic dinner party dish or simply a ‘fishy’ marketing ploy to grab headlines, asks Megan Taylor. She explains what the application reveals about trademark requirements and the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of IP registration in the UK.