Designs

We celebrate World Gin Day (11 June) by examining the intellectual property considerations surrounding the popular spirit.

When businesses merge with or acquire other businesses, the challenge for IP professionals doesn’t stop once the deal is complete. For IP rights to be properly updated and maintained, the question of how to brand and structure the newly merged business first needs to be addressed.

EU General Court decision of 1 December 2021 reaffirms that neither market preferences nor commercial or aesthetic considerations are considered limits to design freedom, as Julia Schefman explains.

The system for design protection continues to expand with China the latest country to file an instrument of accession. The country will complete this process on 5 May 2022 making now a good time to consider whether your IP rights in China are adequately protected.

Counterfeit activity is a threat to all modern businesses, affecting their profits, their reputation and, in some cases, the safety of their consumers. This white paper sets out five steps to success when targeting the trade in fakes, and provides answers to some frequently asked questions

The international systems for trademark and design protection continue to expand, with Jamaica the latest country to file instruments of accession. The more countries that join the systems the better it is for companies that operate internationally.

In a recent judgement, the General Court of the EU considered whether a design application filed in bad faith would automatically render it invalid. Koen de Winder explains the arguments and the reasoning behind the General Court’s decision.

According to WIPO’s latest research, global trademark registrations soared in 2020, while patent and design filings rebounded quickly from the pandemic’s initial impact on application numbers. We summarise some of the key findings from the 2021 World Intellectual Property Indicators Report (WIPI) report.

Female technology (FemTech) is becoming big business with health and wellness apps, software and diagnostic products promising to revolutionise women’s health. Asma Mejri sets out strategic IP advice for FemTech start-ups.

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.

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.

Owners of registered EU rights benefited from the automatic cloning of those rights onto the UK register at the end of the Brexit transition period, but pending rights were not similarly converted. Luke Portnow sets out the steps needed to be taken by 30 September to protect such marks in the UK.