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At the end of 2020, the UK government announced a change to the rules of representation before the UKIPO. New trademark, design and patent applications and contentious actions at the UKIPO now require a 'UK address for service' to be appointed.
Download our factsheet for an overview of registered and unregistered design rights in the UK and EU following Brexit, and our top tips for brand owners on building an effective design right strategy.
For Novagraaf's roundtable last month, we gathered IP professionals from a range of industry sectors to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their IP strategies and operations. Download our white paper to read the key findings from that discussion.
In many jurisdictions, such as the EU and UK, brand owners can file trademark applications without any requirements to file evidence of use of their chosen mark. That is not to say that the ability to provide proof of use is not important.
Many of the world’s best known or most life-changing inventions were discovered entirely by chance. Valérie Stephann sets out five serendipitous discoveries.
Article 53(a) of the European Patent Convention (EPC) stipulates that European patents are not to be granted for inventions where commercial use would be contrary to public order or morality. Stéphanie Landais-Patarin discusses a recent case that considered such a decision in the context of animal cruelty.
A seniority claim allows the owner of a European trademark to claim prior rights based on existing EU national registrations. While a successful claim extends EUTMs back to the date of the earlier national registration, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should allow those rights to lapse, says Vanessa Harrow.
Dairy alternative Oatly has overcome objections to its slogan, ‘It’s like milk, but made for humans’, potentially offering a new way for vegan and vegetarian brands to protect plant-based trademarks in the EU.
In response to a 2019 CJEU decision on collective marks, INTA has filed an amicus brief before EUIPO’s Grand Board of Appeal to set out its views on genuine use. Doddy Wolfs explains what the ruling and INTA’s submission could mean for owners of collective marks.
Since the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020, UK-based businesses and citizens are no longer eligible to own or renew .eu domain name registrations.
The German Bundestag and Bundesrat approved the draft law ratifying the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court in November 2020. In theory, that means the Unitary Patent could come into force in 2022. If only, things were that simple, says Robert Balsters.
