Insights
Unlocking Growth with the EUIPO SME Fund
By Alexandre Theodorou | Posted on October 20, 2025
The SME Fund 2025, an initiative by the European Commission and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the EU. From October 20, the following vouchers will reopen for applications: These three vouchers had been fully claimed previously, but on 16 October, EUIPO announced it was reopening...
Denmark takes a stand against deepfakes – rules are not yet law
By Laura Stravinskaite | Posted on August 12, 2025
Denmark has received international attention for its political agreement aimed at protecting individuals from misuse of their likeness and voice through deepfake technology. However, while many online articles refer to it as a new law, it is important to clarify that this is not yet enacted legislation, but rather a political agreement—a legislative proposal still in the making. The agreement, supported by...
Paris Court rules Hermès’ copyright and trademark infringed in upcycled fashion case
By Laura Stravinskaite | Posted on July 9, 2025
On April 10, 2025, the Paris Judicial Court handed down a pivotal decision in favour of Hermès, finding that S.A.S. MAISON R&C, S.A.S. ATELIER R&C, and Géraldine Lugassy Demri had infringed Hermès’ copyrights and its registered word mark by incorporating parts of Hermès silk scarves—featuring original graphic works—onto denim jackets marketed as...
Chinese courts see upsurge in criminal IP litigation
By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on June 16, 2025
On 21 April 2025 the Supreme People’s Court released an annual report entitled “The Status of Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Chinese Courts (2024)” (“中国法院知识产权司法保护状况(2024年)”), in both Chinese and English. This update will highlight some of the IP and trademark trends across China found in the report, including an increase in criminal cases and in cases involving...
Tags: china, damages, Litigation
China’s First AI-Generated Picture Copyright Infringement Case
By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on April 8, 2025
In November 2023, the Beijing Internet Court issued a first-instance judgment in China’s first “AI-generated picture copyright infringement case”, clarifying that the AI-generated picture involved in the case has the quality of “originality”, reflecting the original intellectual input of human beings, and thus should be recognised as a work and protected by copyright law. The...
EPO launches new PPH agreements with New Zealand and Bahrain
By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on March 20, 2025
The PPH network continues to expand, and we at AWA remain one step ahead by closely monitoring the new expansions and emerging opportunities. Recently, European patent applicants have been presented with new opportunities to expedite and simplify the examination of their patent applications. This opportunity adds to the existing 15 agreements that the EPO holds...
Tags: Bahrain, EPO, New Zealand, patents, PPH
Increasing Burden of Proof for Trademark Applicants in China
By Ashley Zhao | Posted on March 19, 2025
Based on the recent official notices issued by the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) about non-use cancellation cases, applicants are now required to submit more stringent evidence to prove that the target trademark has not been used, including: Basic information about the trademark registrant, including business scope, operational status, and trademark registration details. Evidence...
Companies with IP generate at least 23.8% more revenue according to latest EU report
By AWA | Posted on February 5, 2025
The report ‘The Intellectual Property Rights and Firm Performance in the European Union’ was published last month and analyses intellectual property records by matching firms with their registered patents, trademarks, and designs from multiple authorities, including the European Patent Office (EPO), European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and various national and regional IP offices within...
Tags: EPO, EUIPO, Intellectual Property, patents, SMEs, trademarks
European Commission reports show misuse of divisionals can in itself contravene EU law
By Mikkel Roed Trier | Posted on January 28, 2025
In November last year, I was interviewed about the European Commission’s €462.6 million fine against pharmaceutical giant Teva and what it could mean for European patent practices. In short, the European Commission fined Teva for artificially extending patent protection by pursuing divisionals and spreading misleading information about a competing product to hinder its market entry...
IP Enforcement Strategies: Combating Counterfeiting in Southeast Asia and China
By Angeline Lee | Posted on January 27, 2025
Counterfeiting remains among the most significant threats to intellectual property rights globally, particularly in Southeast Asia and China. These regions are at the heart of global manufacturing and trade but also experience high levels of IP violations. In recent years, efforts to curb counterfeiting in these areas have evolved, with countries intensifying their enforcement strategies...
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