The Court of Appeal recently handed down its judgement that was brought by BT and others against the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in which the claimants alleged that certain provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010 were unlawful and in breach of the European Electronic Commerce Directive.
The USPTO recently requested comments on the broad issue of international patent protection for small businesses and in particular on whether a revolving fund loan or grant program should be established to pay for the costs of filing, maintaining and enforcing international patents.
Many kind words have been said, and many more could be said. On October 5th, the world lost a visionary and a true icon, whose influenced was felt in many places, even in the world of Intellectual Property. Its unmistakable that the world of Patents wouldn't look the same without the contribution Steve Jobs and Apple Inc. have made to consumer electronics technology over the last 30 years. [image sourced from apple.com]
US brewer Anheuser-Busch recently lost its attempt to invalidate Budějovicky Budvar's trade mark...more here
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The Supreme Court last month handed down its judgment in the case of Lucasfilm Ltd & Ors v Ainsworth & Anor. According to the ruling, Helmets created for the characters of the Imperial Stormtrooper in the film Star Wars are not “sculptures” and therefore are not relevant subject matter within the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. More information can be found here
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has commissioned a report aimed to investigate the relationship between trade marks and business performance in terms of productivity, employment, wages and growth. The report aims to encourage domestic producers to compete on product quality and variety, not just cost and price, and to use trade marks to signal their innovations. The full report is available for download here
The Court of Justice of the European Union has handed down its judgment in the case of L'Oreal v eBay. According to the ruling, firms running internet marketplaces like eBay cannot be exempted from liability about the sale of counterfeits if they have knowledge or control over the products made available on their sites in Europe
The Intellectual Property Office recently launched a strategy guide designed to help universities manage their intellectual property assets. The guide gives information to universities to help them maximise the benefit they receive from their intellectual property, while attempting to help economic development and advancement of the social and public good. ...more
The UK Government recently issued a consultation regarding the introduction of a 10% corporation tax rate on profits derived from UK & EPO issued patents. The move is designed to encourage companies to locate high-value jobs and activity associated with the development, manufacturing and exploitation of patents in the UK and enhance the competitiveness of the UK tax system for high-tech companies that obtain profits from patents...more
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has today launched the much anticipated 'Peer to Patent' pilot initiative. The website will provide an online mechanism for registered members of the public to make observations on pending patent applications, allowing users to upload 'prior art' and discuss the merits of the application.
The final report on Professor Ian Hargreaves IP Review has just been published. We are currently reviewing its recommendations and will post an update as soon as we've completed this.
Prior publication (even on the internet) in certain circumstances may lead to the loss of rights ..more here.
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