News

The scope of works protected in Cambodia under copyright law is set to extend pursuant to Cambodia’s  accession to the Berne Convention on 27th June 2020. This will bring the country’s...

Authors: Louis-Pierre Gravelle & Jules Gaudin[1] The past few weeks have been interesting, to say the least. Since mid-March, with some regions implementing measures well before then, or...

Robert Watson reports on the lobbying of EPO by FICPI, which may have contributed to the EPO announcing that all oral proceedings in Oppositions scheduled until 14 September 2020 which had not...

With the growing high-tech industry, Taiwan is rising to become a global technology and innovation powerhouse, and many foreign corporations are showing interest in applying for IP rights...

The German Patent and Trademark Office has announced that deadlines in all ongoing IPR proceedings granted by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office will be extended until 4 May 2020 or no decision...

In view of the Covid-19 coronavirus emergency, the EPO has made some changes to its procedures. Oral proceedings before examining divisions are to be held by videoconference, while oral proceedings...

FICPI has recieved the following urgent message from WIPO: As noted in WIPO Update on COVID-19 press release on March 16, 2020, the International Bureau remains in full...

This year brings broad changes to the whole system of Polish intellectual property law (IPL).  This article focuses on implications for parties to a potential patent dispute.  New tools...

FICPI-Italy’s event offers the opportunity to gain the latest information on the important new rules as well as to cement business relationships and create new links  The Collegio dei...

FICPI continues its activity as a private sector stakeholder in the meetings that the Observatory of the EUIPO holds twice a year, together with Trade Associations, other NGOs, governmental...

Germany’s decision causes new delays but not death of the UPC project. The German Constitutional Court (Bundersverfassungsgericht), in a decision (2 BvR 739/17) that has taken almost 3 years to...

The European Patent Office has published its latest guidance on disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. TERMS AT THE EPO The EPO has acknowledged the COVID-19 outbreak, by extending all periods...

Due to the outbreak of Coronavirus,  many applicants and IP agencies' work, especially in China, has been affected which may cause the loss of IP rights by missing deadlines. In consideration...

India’s accession to the Locarno Agreement in June 2019 (with the treaties effective since September 7, 2019) aims to harmonise the Indian classification system for industrial designs with the...

The CRISPR ‘cut and paste’ gene editing technology is controversial yet looks to have real potential for breakthroughs in treatment of disease as well as fields as diverse as agriculture and...

The EPO rejected two European patent applications on the grounds that the designated sole inventor, an AI system, did not fulfill the requirements of the EPC accepting only human persons as...

The Forty-First Session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) will meet from March 16 to March 20, 2020, at WIPO...

On February 1, 2020, the new Trade Mark Law came into force in Serbia. The law further harmonises the Serbian trade mark legislation with that of the European Union, in particular the Harmonisation...

Naresh Kilaru reports on FICPI’s  participation at the December TM5 meeting and the efforts of the world’s main trade mark Offices to harmonise global trade mark policy. On December 9-10...

FICPI’s attendance at the recent ID5 Annual Meeting made it clear that the five leading design Offices, the ID5 Partners, continue to make great efforts to harmonise global design practices across...

In a landmark case, Merck Sharp & Dohme & Anor v Hovid Berhad, Malaysia’s Apex Court has reversed its prior 2015 ruling in SKB Shutters on the treatment of dependent patent claims. Patent...

FICPI's Briefing Note on the transitional arrangements for EU trade marks and designs in the UK. The UK will leave the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020.  However, the position for IP will...

The Committee agreed to begin examining compulsory licensing & prior use as regards patent rights, & quality of grant process. The 31st Session of the Standing Committee on the Law of...

This new system provides greater flexibility for Applicants Changes to the patent system in Hong Kong from 19th December 2019 see the introduction of an original grant patent system for standard...

EPO opinion on whether appelants will be reimbursed if their appeal is found to be “inadmissibe" rather than “nonexistent". In its opinion G 1/18 issued in July 2019, the Enlarged Board of Appeal,...

India’s Patent Prosecution Highway is now in operation, allowing expedited examination of patent applications. A bilateral agreement between the Indian Patent Office and the Japan Patent Office is...

The mandate was renewed at WIPO’s Fifty-First (24th Ordinary) Session from 30 September to 9 October 2019 The WIPO General Assembly has renewed the mandate for the Intergovernmental Commission on...

Move over country names: protection of Well-known Marks raised; plus possible new international treaty for Rep. of Korea. Country Names/Nation Branding have been an issue for some countries and...

ICANN’s public meeting demonstrates desire for action Some progress on improvements to  dispute resolution procedures and to meet lawyers' need for WHOIS information related to online infringers....

Highlights from the WIPO Consultation with NGOs, November 2019. FICPI attended the consultation that WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry, led with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Geneva on...

China National Intellectual Property Association (CNIPA) has published revisions to its Patent Examination Guidelines, the changes became effective on 1 November 2019. In this article, Michael Caine...

WIPO General Assembly renews mandate for IGC on Genetic Resources,Traditional Knowledge, and Traditional Cultural Expressions WIPO General Assembly renews mandate for IGC on Genetic...

The EPO has no interpreters of its own but uses external services, which is costly and involves considerable organisation. As laid down in Rule 4(5) EPC, the cost of interpreters is borne by the...

The Brazilian IP scenario is a vibrant one, as the country has one of the largest markets in the world. Protecting a patent in Brazil, however, will sometimes take longer than expected. One of the...

INPI adopts new procedures to reduce the backlog, upon relying on search reports issued by other IP offices INPI has published Resolution 241/19 providing for a streamlined examination of pending...

As reported in the FICPI News of 22 January 2019, a revised version of the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) will enter into force on 1 January 2020. The...

Earlier in 2019, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) indicated that official fees for South African patents and designs were to be increased. In addition, a distinction was in...

The Delhi High Court taking cognizance of the colossal pendency of cases before the IPAB and its perennial non-functioning hold the view that the doctrine of necessity has to be invoked in this...

The Indian Patent Office (IPO) published Draft Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2019 on 1 June 2019 and asked for submission of comments and/or suggestions by stakeholders within one month of publication...

As a result of the transposition of the EU Directive, there is a new procedure for trade mark opposition proceedings in Spain. This will apply to any Spanish application or International application...

The USPTO and Federal Circuit have struggled with defining patent subject matter eligibility after the Mayo, Myriad and Alice Supreme Court cases. Holdings in some recent Federal Circuit cases are...

Currently Bio-technology is a flourishing industry and has immense potential for innovation in several paramount human activities, such as health, agricultural and foods. Intellectual Property...

This year will bring significant changes in the field of Estonian trademark protection. The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) passed The Act on Amendments to the Trademark Act, which will make...

On Friday 1 February 2019, a year after announcing fee changes, the Venezuelan PTO (SAPI) finally published their new schedule of charges. Payment of official fees had been suspended since February...

On 12 February 2019, CNIPA (previously SIPO, China) published a draft regulation, Some Provisions on Regulating the Application for Registration of Trademarks, inviting public comments. Anyone who...

On 14 February 2019, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA, previously SIPO) announced its reconstruction. According to the announcement, a "big" Trademark Office and a...

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) announced on 18 December 2018 that a few amendments to the "Patent Act" and "Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act" were passed...

China's top legislature, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (SCNPC), had a first reading on the Draft Amendment of the China Patent Law at the end of December 2018. This amendment...

On 22 January 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its opinion, authored by Justice Thomas, in Helsinn Healthcare S.A. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., et al., No. 17-1229, 586 U.S....

From 1 January 2019, new rules of jurisdiction of technology-related intellectual property rights ("IPR") litigation cases will be applied according to the Decision of the Standing Committee of the...

On 21 December 2018, the Spanish Government approved Royal Decree 23/2018, by which the Spanish Trade Mark Law was amended to incorporate the changes included in the EU Harmonization Directive...

On January 7, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published its "2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance" ("Guidance") in an effort to provide more...

On 28 August 2018, SIPO changed its English name to CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Association). Its new domain name, www.cnipa.gov.cn, was launched on 30 August 2018. These changes...

On 3-5 October 2018, EUIPO welcomed the seventh edition of an external audit on the quality of its opposition decisions on European trademarks. In accordance with its 2020 Strategic Plan, EUIPO...

FICPI was invited to participate at the Group B+ Sub-group meeting and the Group B+ Plenary Session held in Geneva on 1st October 2019. The meeting was attended by Jérôme Collin and Kim Finnilä. The...