Local Insights

Jen Colantoni of Spoor & Fisher summarises Libya’s new $2,000 annual trademark renewal fee for foreign applicants and alerts brand owners to several strategic considerations

New patent and utility model procedures and updated fees form part of a legislative update to the Bangui Agreement that became effective in the new year, explains Craig Kahn of Spoor & Fisher Jersey

Matthew Costard of Spoor & Fisher Jersey considers application of the Madrid Protocol across Africa as Ethiopia’s intellectual property practice looks set to move closer to global standards

Jun Qiu of Liu, Shen & Associates analyses two recent CNIPA decisions that provide insights into the application of the good faith principle in patent re-examination and invalidation procedures in China

Dongguo Liang of Liu, Shen & Associates says DeepSeek should take swift action to address ‘insufficient planning’ in its intellectual property protection strategy and an ‘underdeveloped’ patent portfolio

Yue Guan of Wanhuida Intellectual Property considers the CNIPA’s evidentiary standards after its invalidation of a patent for the crystalline form of lemborexant and explains the implications for pharmaceutical patent strategies in China

Wilhelm Eger of Maiwald Intellectual Property examines how the Pemetrexed case has influenced European approaches to patent infringement under the doctrine of equivalency and how numbers and measurements are addressed

Güldeniz Doğan Alkan and Dilan Sıla Kayalıca of Gün + Partners highlight a Turkish Court of Cassation ruling that shows how a trademark owner’s actions – or inaction – can limit courts’ boundaries in assessing similarity

Manolis Metaxakis of Patrinos & Kilimiris Law Offices considers the implications of the EUIPO ruling in favour of the Hellenic Republic concerning the validity of the ‘TurkAegean’ trademark

The reform of August 10 2018 to the Mexican Industrial Property Law substantially changed the Mexican trademark landscape. Among the most relevant changes brought by this legislative reform, particularly the acceptance on behalf of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) of non-conventional trademark applications – such as smell and sound trademarks – positions Mexico today at the forefront of innovation.

A few days ago, a photograph of a bottle of Dutch tequila began circulating on the web. The creators of this product, which has not yet hit the market and probably never will, claim to have improved the taste of original tequila, based on Dutch gin, and now feel ready to enter the European market.

Performing trademark clearance searches should always be the first step taken prior to filing a trademark application, as they are an effective way of preventing legal risks before launching a brand.

Lawyers from Ropes & Gray joined Managing IP to discuss licensing negotiation groups

Alejandro Salas of OLIVARES questions whether requiring the submission of original objects for comparison is hindering the proper enforcement of trademark rights and represents an ‘improper interpretation’ of the criminal statute

With TikTok videos frequently using music created by popular artists and adding a personal touch to trends, Jaime Ortega of OLIVARES answers a central question regarding whether the videos constitute original creations or reproductions