News & opinion

While the entry into effect of the GDPR at the end of May might be music to the ears of privacy advocates, brand owners and trademark attorneys could be hearing a rather less pleasant tune.

It is now only 12 weeks until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, with the hosts taking on Saudi Arabia match on 14 June. Novagraaf’s Claire Jones examines the IP implications of this headline-grabbing event.

In its Decision T 1311/13 of 17 January 2018 (re: EP 1 224 299), the EPO’s Board of Appeal has provided clarification as to late-filed requests in appeal proceedings.

The final step in the UK joining the Hague Agreement for industrial designs has been completed with the UK instrument of ratification being deposited in Geneva.

Love them or hate them, Crocs footwear has been popular since its launch in 2002 with a number of celebrity endorsements. Inevitably, this popularity has led to a number of copycat designs.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has encountered a setback in its attempt to bar non-Scottish distilleries from using the word ‘Glen’ in their product names.

AB InBev has announced plans to temporarily rebrand ‘JUPILER’ as ‘BELGIUM’ in support of the ‘Red Devils’, Belgium’s national football team, in the forthcoming 2018 World Cup. Novagraaf examines the trademark implications.

The judgment of the Court of Cassation of 6 December 2017, in the case between TEVA and MERCK (patent owner), is the outcome of a long and complex affair concerning the nullity of the French part of the European Patent (EP) n°0724444 describing a dosage regime.

Danish dairy cooperative Arla has recovered the domain name castellocheese.co following a ruling by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center.

In some cases, national registrations may be preferable to European trademark (EUTM) registrations explains Novagraaf’s Florence Chapin.

Approximately 5% of all the live contested trademark cases before the UK IPO relate to ‘Gleissner’ filings, according to a recent ruling over the mark ‘Alexander’. This latest decision is good news for affected brand owners.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its decision in the joined Acacia cases at the end of 2017, providing guidance on how to interpret the Design Regulation’s repair clause.