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IT’S 2018: THE IMPACT OF IP DECISIONS FROM 2017
2017 saw a bumper crop of Supreme Court decisions on intellectual property matters around the world including eight by the United States Supreme Court, two by the Canadian Supreme Court, and two by the United Kingdom Supreme Court. U.S. Supreme...
Read Article“POISONOUS DIVISIONALS” POISONED IN THE EPO
For the past few years there has been fear that the law on priority claims in the European Patent Office (EPO) could result in a divisional application becoming prior art against its parent if the divisional application described subject matter that...
Read ArticleCOPYRIGHT PROTECTION FOR MASS-PRODUCED ARTICLES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Prior to a recent change in the law, copyright protection in an artistic work expired after 25 years if articles embodying the work had been applied industrially (defined as making more than fifty articles). This kept the period of protection for...
Read ArticleCASE 168/09 FLOS SPA v SEMERARO CASA E FAMIGLIA SPA
The District Court of Milan referred questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union for a preliminary opinion on the interrelation of the EU’s Council Directive 93/98 on the duration of copyright protection and Directive 98/71 relating to...
Read ArticleEuropean “INTERMEDIARIES” MAY BE FORCED TO TAKE ACTIVE MEASURES AGAINST TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT COMMITTED BY THIRD PARTIES
Recent cases in the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales have addressed the question of whether those who provide facilities to persons who infringe the trademark rights of others may themselves be...
Read ArticleEuropean Community Trademark registration for patterns and three-dimensional marks requires Acquired Distinctiveness in Each Member State
Owners of pattern and three-dimensional marks should take note of the substantial burden of proving acquired distinctiveness of their marks through use throughout the European Union. On April 21, 2015, Louis Vuitton’s European Community trademark...
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