Insights

Copycats in China: The canary in the coalmine for foreign companies?

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on November 16, 2015

The recent media report concerning the “fake” Goldman Sachs in China has sparked another series of stories about counterfeits in China… but has it sparked a call to action yet? Throwbacks to the bogus Apple stores and the concocted IKEA shops both found in Kunming in 2011 come to mind. Whilst foreign companies are amazed...

Tougher measures on advertising in China (wef 1 September 2015): Caveat Vendor

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on November 10, 2015

The recent case of smart phone maker Xiaomi coming under investigation for misleading consumers through false advertising, is a cautionary tale for companies seeking to promote their products and services in China. The company was caught by the New Advertising Law in China, enacted on 1st September 2015, which clamps down on fictitious advertising. By...

Tags: AIC, anti-puffery, Caveat Vendor

Crowdsourcing or a maker – do you need to care about IP?

By AWA | Posted on October 30, 2015

In recent year’s crowdsourcing, i.e. inviting a community to take part in developing a new product or service has become increasingly popular. The instant feedback from the community allows for a rapid and agile development process, where everyone taking part in the development can feel great pride in the finished product. Simultaneously a movement called...

Tags: crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, makerspaces

Unified Patent Court – one step closer to opening the Court

By AWA | Posted on October 26, 2015

On October 1 2015, a Protocol to the UPC Agreement was signed by first seven member states . It is open for signing by the remaining Signatory States of the UPC Agreement from this date. The aim of the Protocol is to allow for some provisions of the UPC Agreement to be applied early, i.e....

Tags: European patents, Patent, SPC, Supplementary Protection Certificates, unified patent court, UPC

Italy joins the unitary patent!

By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on October 22, 2015

On 30 September 2015, Italy joined the unitary patent. Italy will thus form part of both the unitary patent and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) upon entry into force. So reports the Commission of the EU here. Italy is the country in which the fourth largest number of European patents is validated. The Italian decision...

Tags: unified patent court, UPC

Global Innovation Index 2015: Switzerland, UK and Sweden at the top

By Love Koči | Posted on October 22, 2015

The recently issued Global Innovation Index (GII), which is co-published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD Business School, ranks the innovation performance of 141 countries and economies around the world based on 79 indicators. Published annually since 2007, the GII is used as a tool for policymakers, business leaders and...

Tags: GII, Global Innovation Index, WIPO

European patents can now be validated in Moldova

By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on October 15, 2015

On 1 November 2015 an agreement between the European Patent Office (EPO) and the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova allowing European patents to take legal effect in Moldova will enter in to force. Thereby, applicants with a European patent application will after this date be able to validate their granted...

Tags: European Patent Office, Moldova

Controversy behind Ms. Tu Youyou, the first Chinese female Noble Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine

By Linlin Zheng | Posted on October 9, 2015

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced on 5 October. It was rewarded with one half to Tu Youyou “for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria” and the other half jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Omura. “Chinese people wish to win Nobel Prize for long time,” said Professor...

Tags: artemisinin, Satoshi Omura, The 2015 Nobel Prize, Tu Youyou, William C. Campbell, WIPO

Can innovative clean tech companies save the world…and still be profitable?

By AWA | Posted on September 10, 2015

Well, as we all know, innovation and research and development usually cost a lot of money, and the simplest incentive for innovations is often to earn more, or alternatively to save, money. Facing the threat of global warming, i.e. climate change, many new ideas have developed to make us less dependent on fossil fuels, to...

Tags: Clean tech, global warming, IPR, Patent

New hope for trademark owners in China

By AWA | Posted on September 3, 2015

In China, the trademark system is based on the “first-to-file” system, which means that the first company or person to file owns the legal right to the trademark. There is no requirement for the intention to actually use the mark as we know it from a.o. the US system. Up until now the so called...

Tags: china, Chinese Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, Michael Bastian, TRAB, Trademark, Trademark Squatters