Prosecution

The World Trademark Review (WTR) has announced the WTR 1000 - The World's Leading Trademark Professionals for 2024, recognizing top trademark firms and individuals worldwide.

Inventa has once again been recognized as one of the leading trademark firms in Portugal and Nigeria, with WTR highlighting our expertise in prosecution and strategic IP protection. 

Portugal

Nestled in the heart of Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a vast and diverse country that commands attention both for its geographical expanse and its significant influence on the African continent.

Bordered by nine neighbouring nations, the DRC's geographical coordinates place it at a crossroads of African cultures and histories.

To the north, it shares borders with South Sudan and the Central African Republic, while to the east, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania create a complex mosaic of regional interactions.

When exporting a product, it is advisable to have Intellectual Property (IP) related to that product in the market of destiny. In addition to providing rights to explore the asset (trademark or a design, for example) in exclusivity, having IP in the market where the goods are exported lowers the probability of facing customs obstacles. This is what several Chinese companies and individuals do every year in the European Union (EU), filing trademark (EUTM) and design (RCD) applications.

Using the Algeria boycott of Spanish goods as a case study, Vera Albino and Inês Monteiro Alves reflect on the nuanced interaction between political dynamics and intellectual property protection, exploring how challenging bilateral relations between nations or perceived inefficiencies in the judicial system can contribute to hesitancy among investors and affect both investment and IP protection.

According to recent information on the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) website, the 2024 edition of the SME Fund is scheduled to be launched on January 22nd.

The Doha Round represents the latest series of trade negotiations among WTO members, officially launched at the WTO's Fourth Ministerial Conference in Qatar in 2001. Its goal is to substantially reform the global trade system by reducing trade barriers and revising rules across approximately 20 trade-related areas, including intellectual property matters such as rights protection, affordable access to medicines, flexibility within the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, the promotion of technology transfer, and more.

Submitted by Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V. in July 2022, the request for protection of a three-dimensional sign representing a biscuit - a “flat, round biscuit, on the front of which 144 squares with their protuberances or reliefs are represented in parallel and equidistant, surrounded by a thicker border with 33 oval rings, creating, as a whole, a characteristic and distinctive shape” - was recently denied.

1. Introduction

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence has sparked significant changes across various sectors, including in the field of patent law. The ability of AI systems to develop new creations poses unique and challenging questions to the conventional structures of IP law. This article explores the implications of AI inventorship within the specific context of South African IP law, shedding light on the legal ambiguities and offering recommendations for future policy adaptations.

The National Institute of Industrial Property of Angola (IAPI) has expanded its coverage, and since October 30, 2023, it has started to use and accept the list of terms from the Harmonized Database of Product Indications (HDBPI) in DesignClass, as well as the list of terms from the Harmonized Database for brand classification (HDB) in TMClass.

DesignClass/HDBPI allows for the searching and translation of product indications in 30 languages, while TMClass/HDB enables the searching and translation of classification terms in 37 languages.

Can innovations based on traditional knowledge be protected, even if not by conventional intellectual property (IP) systems?

Marisol Cardoso explores the measures taken by numerous African nations to protect this knowledge. These measures encompass various dimensions, including the establishment of relevant legislation, the formulation of specific policies, and ongoing collaboration between indigenous communities and the relevant government authorities.