News & opinion

Without trust in the accuracy, coverage and strategic relevancy of the trademark rights in your intellectual property portfolio, how can you be confident in your ability to protect and enforce your valuable brand assets? As part of a comprehensive trademark audit programme, trademark analysis will help your portfolio bloom in the coming year, says guest contributor Elena Galletti, Head of Trademark Services Architecture at Questel.

The European Patent Office (EPO) published its second study on innovation in cancer technologies in February, revealing that Europe leads the way in oncology startups but lags behind the United States and China in cancer innovation. Nadège Lagneau explores the key findings, including the central role played by public research in European oncology innovation. 

Costa Rica has become the latest country to join the list of EPO validation states after the European Patent Office and Costa Rica’s Ministry of Justice and Peace signed a historic agreement for the validation of European patents.

In January 2025, the French Football Federation (FFF) successfully opposed an EU trademark depicting a highly stylised rooster similar to its distinctive logo. Florence Chapin examines the EUIPO rooster trademark opposition decision, the EU General Court's ruling and the implications for holders of figurative marks.

The Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil (INPI) officially joined the Global Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme on 1 January 2025, offering applicants new opportunities to obtain patents more quickly and efficiently in the country.

The Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) became the official source for accessing registration data for generic Top-level Domain (gTLD) names on 28 January 2025, replacing the now obsolete WHOIS service. Marc-Emmanuel Mellet explains what this means in practice. 

The recent dispute over the Chanel N°5 trademark raises the question of whether you can register a number as a trademark in the EU. Clarisse Merdy provides some helpful guidance on numeric trademarks and figurative trademark rights.

In the latest legal wrangle between a brand owner and a supermarket chain in the UK, the Thatchers Cider company has successfully challenged Aldi’s lookalike Taurus Cider. Farhan Kazi provides the background to the trademark dispute and explains why it is good news for market leaders.

If a trademark becomes so common that consumers start using the original brand name as a generic term, you might see it as a compliment. However, from a legal perspective, this type of trademark dilution can undermine your rights to that brand name.

Meeting the requirements for trademark distinctiveness is vital for all types of trademarks in the EU but arguing that a mark is distinctive can be even harder in the case of non-traditional trademarks, such as colours and shapes.

What happens if you use a trademark in a virtual, rather than a real-world environment? Omar Hassan shares the practical guidelines released in 2024 by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.

Louis Vuitton has successfully opposed an EU trademark application for ‘XL Sporting’ based on the trademark reputation of its iconic LV monogram. The EUIPO’s Opposition Division found that the differences between the signs were eclipsed by similarities in the arrangement of the two letters, thereby creating a similar visual overall impression, as Florence Chapin explains.