Strategy

As the Brexit transition period officially ended on 31 December 2020, the clock is ticking to find out what this means for your IP portfolio, as well as any actions you may need to take. Watch the recording of our latest Brexit webinar for timely advice on safeguarding your IP strategies and minimising business risk.

Brexit took place on 31 January 2020, but what happens next? Download our handy checklist of IP actions to take during and after the Brexit transition period.

In a recent webinar organised by professional services company TPA Global, Novagraaf’s Monique Granneman and Franc Enghardt set out advice for finance professionals on maximising the value of IP. Here, we summarise the guidance and tools discussed.

Apps provide brand owners with a new way to connect with and market to consumers, but how do you make the most of the opportunities while managing the risks of brand damage or infringement?

What happens to trademark rights when trade sanctions or other restrictive measures are placed on countries by the United Nations Security Council, or by countries or territories, such as the US or EU? Frederik Jocqué outlines the implications.

Negotiations between the EU and Mexico on an updated Free Trade Agreement could potentially open the door to non-agricultural geographical indications (GIs). Time will tell if the EU is ready to embrace protection for handicrafts however.

When budgets are tight, IP expenditure will naturally come under scrutiny, with patent annuity payments often one of the first areas to be identified for cuts.

It takes time, resources and money to create and launch distinctive and effective brands. But how can you be sure that the brand name you have chosen is really yours to use?

Frequently bloated with unused registrations or starved by gaps in coverage, a thorough audit of your trademark assets could help you to identify ways to streamline and exploit your portfolio, saving you money while also improving the efficiency of your assets.

Trademark registrations provide an exclusive right to use protected brand names in the markets, and for the goods and services for which they have been registered. To maintain those rights, however, it is imperative to keep trademarks in use.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games may have been postponed, but that hasn't stopped counterfeiters from trying to get in on the act, with fake medals recovered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police earlier this month.

From registering “non-traditional” trademarks to proving “genuine use” of a mark, Chantal Koller shares strategies for protecting and enforcing brand assets across Europe.