AWA Point
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
The Global Patent Prosecution Highway expands in the heat of summer
By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on July 2, 2015
As summer, at least here in Denmark, finally heats up, so does the PPH thus giving both Danish and Swedish patent applicants new possibilities of speeding up and simplifying examination of their patent applications. In the following the AWA IP Blog sums up these new possibilities. To recall, for a given PPH-agreement the PPH allows...
Tags: GPPH, Nordic Patent Institute, patent prosecution highway, PPH
Time for abolishment of basic registrations for international registrations of trademarks?
By Angela Boman | Posted on June 11, 2015
By an application of international registration according to the Madrid system a trademark can be registered in a number of countries and regions in a more time and cost efficient way compared to filing of national applications only. In contrast to international registrations for designs or patents, the Madrid System requires a domestic application or...
Tags: international trademark, Madrid Protocol, trademarks, WIPO
Paving the IP way for SMEs
By Love Koči | Posted on June 4, 2015
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face difficult decisions about how to prioritize between various efforts, such as marketing, product development and intellectual property (IP). To facilitate the introduction of IP into these companies, Awapatent has recently launched a new service called “Startup Services – IP for the newborn company”. This initiative strives to inaugurate...
Tags: innovation cheque, SMEs, start-up
Patents for protecting others from harm?
By AWA | Posted on May 20, 2015
Well that would be really nice, wouldn’t it? My daughter came home from school a few weeks ago and told me about one of her friends who had taken a bad fall on the playground and hit his head so badly he had to go to the emergency and get some stitches. She said, “I...
Tags: IP strategy, patents
Will there be any difference in the oral hearings between the EPO and the UPC?
By AWA | Posted on May 13, 2015
Anyone who has been attending an oral proceeding at the EPO, either as an observer or as an active party knows what it’s like. You need to think fast and stay on your toes, and watch your language because every issue, often starting with added subject matter, is taken to a decision immediately. The proceedings...
Tags: EPO, oral hearings, unified patent court, unitary patent, UPC
Accelerated processing of Standard Essential Patent (SEP) applications?
By Love Koči | Posted on April 22, 2015
Numerous industries have benefited from standard-setting organizations (SSOs), whose primary activities encompass developing, coordinating and producing technical standards intended to address the needs of affected adopters. The SSOs may advance technology, as standardization promotes interoperability, quality and user-friendliness. Technical solutions developed within the scope of a standard may provide significant added value to its users,...
First non-European country begins validating European patents
By Troels Peter Rørdam | Posted on April 15, 2015
As earlier announced on the Awapatent IP Blog here, Tunisia and Morocco has signed an agreement with the EPO on the validation of European patents in the respective countries. Effective 1 March 2015 the agreement with Morocco entered in to force, thus enabling applicants with a European patent application filed on or after this date...
Tags: EPO, European patent, Morocco
Fertile grounds for patent applications
By Love Koči | Posted on March 31, 2015
According to a recently published survey by the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV), geographical areas where universities and large companies are present promote innovation, and consequently, also the number of filed patent applications. Some Swedish counties (e.g. Stockholm, Uppsala and Skåne) stand out in the PRV statistics of the number of national patent applications...
Tags: Innovation, PRV, sweden
New IP courts major step forward in China’s judicial reforms
By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on March 24, 2015
In November and December 2014, China announced the long awaited establishment of three specialized IP courts in the Tier 1 cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. These courts are empowered to hear the following cases: First instance civil and administrative cases related to patents, new plant varieties, layout design of integrated circuit, technological secrets and...
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