Strategy

Pandemic panic has driven acute increase in demand for goods, services and information online. We set out the IP implications for brand owners.

Bankruptcies among high street chains in the UK are becoming an all too familiar sight with household names, such as Thomas Cook and Mothercare going under in 2019, and many companies anticipating financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the recession that is predicted to follow.

Websites that provide a platform for third parties to sell products now represent some of the world’s most successful businesses. But, the fast-moving nature of e-commerce means that issues around trademark infringement are only now being addressed.

The revised Rules of Procedure at the EPO’s Boards of Appeal (RPBA), known as ‘RPBA 2020’, came into force on 1 January 2020. The revised rules apply to any appeal pending on, or filed after, this date.

France’s new PACTE law has set out to modernise utility certificates by increasing their term of protection and adding new provisions to allow applicants to transform utility certificate applications into patent applications.

Controlling use of your brand online can be a daunting task. That’s why clever planning, time-saving tools and automated enforcement procedures are critical to success.

Find out how Novagraaf assisted the University of Bordeaux and University Medical Centre of Bordeaux’s IP management organisation, SATT Aquitaine Science Transfer, to protect a new breakthrough treatment. 

Trademark enforcement is critical to brand protection strategies, but taking too heavy-handed an approach can often do more damage than good, as backcountry.com recently learned to its cost.

EPO ruling on CRISPR gene-editing patent is only the latest example of priority arrangements made according to US practice causing problems for European Patent applications, as Dr Oliver Harris explains. 

Trademark law allows brand owners to take action against a trademark applied for ‘in bad faith’. But, what is meant by ‘bad faith’, and what is the process for bringing such a claim?

While every business is different, certain recommendations apply to the proactive management of a trademark portfolio no matter your industry or business goals. We set out a 10-point strategic plan for streamlining operations in 2020.

Of course every business should undertake trademark clearance searching before launching a brand, but not every small or start-up business understands why – until they receive a cease and desist letter demanding that they change their branding. Vanessa Harrow offers some advice.