Insights

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will join the Madrid System in December 2021, becoming the 109th member state of the international trademark registration system.

Planning is crucial to the safe transfer of an IP portfolio no matter the timescales involved. Minimise the impact on your business and resources with these five steps for recording change of ownership.

The EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal has issued its highly anticipated decision on the patentability of computer-implemented simulations. Martin Kohrs examines the decision and its implications.

The need to file evidence of use can crop up in many cases and the requirement to show historic use can cause problems for businesses. Preparation is critical to success.

Earlier this month, EUIPO’s Board of Appeal ruled on an opposition between German drink brand Jägermeister and French company Les Bordes over ownership of a stylised Hubertus stag.

The German Federal Constitutional Court has cleared the way for Germany to finally implement the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA). In so doing, the unitary patent and court system could come into being as of mid-2022.

International registration systems are an important route for the protection of designs. Anne-Catherine Schihin introduces a new tool to protect design rights in the countries of the former USSR.

By removing the need for prior approval by ANVISA, the patent process for pharmaceutical and biotechnology products has been shortened and associated costs reduced.

Unlike trademark registration systems, which are national or regional by nature, the internet offers a global and potentially limitless market. Businesses with the same or confusingly similar company or product names can face a considerable challenge to mitigate the risks of brand confusion online.