Mar 19 2020
90 countries were involved in Operation Pangea XIII, the annual global coordinated operation to tackle the illegal online sale of medicines and medical devices. Health regulatory authorities, customs and police officers from 90 countries took part in collective action aiming to prevent the illegal online sale of medicines and medical devices, including counterfeit face masks …
Feb 21 2020
The Locarno Agreement will enter into force, with respect to the Republic of Singapore, on March 19, 2020. Industrial designers are set to obtain greater assurance in protecting their designs in Singapore when the Locarno Agreement enters into force on 19 March 2020. With this, Singapore becomes the first in the ASEAN bloc to join the Locarno Agreement, …
Feb 20 2020
Zespri has emerged victorious in a 2018 civil action brought in New Zealand against a kiwifruit grower and their Whakatane-based company. On 14 February 2020, kiwifruit producer Zespri announced the successful result of legal action taken against a kiwifruit grower who brought the global brand’s protected plant material from New Zealand to China where it …
Feb 05 2020
A machine called “DABUS”, described as “a type of connectionist artificial intelligence”, was named as the inventor in two applications filed in autumn 2018. The EPO has published its decision setting out the reasons for its recent refusal of two European patent applications in which an AI system was designated as the inventor. Filed by …
Jan 23 2020
Comments on a draft issues paper on AI and IP by WIPO may be submitted by February 14, 2020. Public consultation is currently open for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’s draft issues paper concerning the impact of artificial intelligence (Al) on intellectual property (IP) policy that might form the basis of future structured discussions. The public consultation process …
Dec 09 2019
Overwatch maker Blizzard Entertainment has been awarded 4 million yuan ($569,000) after a court found Chinese publisher 4399 Network guilty of copyright infringement. Blizzard Entertainment, the US video game giant and NetEase, its local agent in China, has won nearly 4 million yuan (US$569,000) from a Xiamen-based game publisher and its Guangzhou branch. The Pudong …
Dec 02 2019
The International Trademark Association calls on brands to warn Generation Z consumers, who will become the largest global consumer group in 2020, about counterfeit products. This holiday shopping season, the International Trademark Association (INTA) is calling on brands to step up their communications to consumers about the danger of counterfeit products—especially among Gen Z, which …
Nov 30 2019
The EPO’s newly revamped Espacenet portal provides inventors and businesses with access to the world’s largest free collection of patent documents. The European Patent Office (EPO) has launched Espacenet, a brand new version of the Office’s patent information search tool. Users will now find it easier to conduct patent searches and access over 110 million patent …
Nov 25 2019
This future agreement is likely to be one the most significant trade agreements negotiated in recent years between the European Union and the People’s Republic of China. The European Union (EU) and China have recently concluded negotiations on a bilateral agreement set to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI …
Nov 21 2019
The outcome of Oracle v Google will have significant effects on past and future software development given the prolific use of APIs. The Supreme Court of the United States has decided to review what has emerged as one of the most significant software copyright decisions of recent years: the 2018 ruling by the US Court of Appeals …
