Insights

The US has launched an accelerated examination procedure for patent applications relating to COVID-19, as Eric Enderlin explains.

The current health crisis has inspired inventors from a wide range of industries and organisations to look for ways to help, including meeting the urgent need for protective equipment in hospitals.

On 7 May 2020, we brought together a team of experts to discuss how to effectively manage patent portfolios at this time of crisis, remote working and increasing pressure on budgets.

Novagraaf is very proud to be working with Gabicci, a heritage brand from the 1970s. We explain the role of IP in the revival of a beloved fashion brand.

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

We regularly receive messages from our clients about unsolicited correspondence from companies presenting themselves as IP protection agents. Please do not make any payments to such companies.

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 fin...

Les sites web qui offrent une plate-forme permettant à des tiers de vendre des produits représentent aujourd'hui certaines des entreprises les plus prospères du monde, en raison de l'évolution rapide ...

Mexico has become the latest country to deposit its instrument of accession to the International Design system, following Israel, Samoa and Vietnam last year. The growth of the system is only good new...

The full impact of COVID-19 on businesses, individuals and world economies is still unknown, but where some see challenges, others see opportunities or chances to help, as Novagraaf's Vanessa Harrow e...

Patent and trademark offices are adapting their working methods in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Read our overview of changes to procedural requirements, timeframes, channels of communication and...

From Led Zeppelin to Katy Perry, it seems that hardly a few weeks go by without another music IP case hitting the headlines. But, does this mark an increase in actual ‘copying’, or is it just a indica...

The Unified Patent Court Agreement received a further blow this month after Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court declared the Act establishing the system null and void on constitutional grounds.

Earlier this year, the EPO published its decision setting out the reasons for its refusal of two European patent applications in which an AI system was designated as the inventor.

Despite holding a EU collective trademark, the EU General Court ruled that ‘Halloumi’ was too descriptive, and thus lacking in distinctive character, to successfully oppose a EU trademark application ...

As the coronavirus spreads, so too do related trademark applications. It’s only the latest example of how registrations follow medical and political news.

In a new twist to the ‘Royal’ trademark saga, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have retracted their application for the ‘Sussex Royal’ marks. Megan Taylor outlines the barriers to obtaining a Royal trad...

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 dat...

If a trademark office deems a potential trademark to be contrary to public policy or accepted principles of morality, it can refuse to register the mark. Following a recent CJEU decision, concrete evi...

A recent judgement by the District Court of The Hague shows the importance of documenting comprehensive and consistent evidence of trademark and trade name use.