Prosecution

The 97th PTMG’s Autumn Conference took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The event focused on Trademark Protection in the Pharma Industry.

The international use of Nonproprietary Names (INN) was one of the issues that stood out at this event. The presentation of case studies was highlighted by the participants as a plus of this edition, that counted with our attendance.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already opened the door to our reality and we have not even realized it. Think again who believes that a world endowed with technological autonomy without constant human aid is a utopia or a subject of bygone centuries. Far from it; we face and live in a century where the great questions of our society need further guidance.

The online system enters in force on 18th December of 2017.

On 18th December, the online registrations for all trademarks, patents, renewals and recordals (change of address, name and assignment) will enter in force in Tanzania, meaning that the manual system for filing applications at the Registry will no longer be applicable.

By having an online system, the same will ease the workload at the Registry and the time for registration will be faster.

The Ministry of Trade of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced an increase of about 15% on the country’s official fees regarding intelectual property, that covers trademark, patent and design registrations.

If you wish to know more about this matter, please contact us at africa@inventa.com .

The launhcing of this domain is divided in 3 phases. The Sunrise Phase started on the past 23rd ofjuly of 2017 and will end on October 22nd of 2017. During this period, only the oweners who have trademarks registered in Kenya will have the right to apply for the corresponding domain names. To do that, it will only be necessary to have a confirmation letter from the Intelectual Property Institute of Kenya to verify if the trademarks are registered in the country.

The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), formerly known as English Speaking African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ESARIPO), was created with the Lusaka Agreement (1976) and currently boosts 19 member-states, which are mostly English speaking countries. ARIPO intends to promote the cooperation between members regarding the protection of intellectual property rights and with time it developed to a regional system that allows the registration of patents, trademarks and plant varieties.

The famous former basketball player, that sued the Chinese sports trademark Qiaodan Sports, due to the misuse of a trademark with Michael Jordan’s name, in Chinese, finally saw the Chinese justice system proving him right, already in the last appeal instance.

The case that has been dragging on for more than 4 years seems to have reached an end, indeed a happy end for the NBA legend, as you may verify by the previously published article (https://inventa.com/pt/noticias/artigo/23).

Past August 30, 2016, a trademark opposition system has come into effect in Mexico. The amendment to the Mexican IP Law was published in the Official Gazette June 1, 2016 and a new opposition has come alive, where before there was none. While the opposition system is most certainly welcome, taking into account that it will make it easier – and cheaper – for opponents to oppose published trademarks that might be deemed too similar to their previous trademarks, the new opposition system has some local peculiarities that might make it a strange beast for most foreign applicants.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Cook Islands has notified that they have deposited the instrument of accession of the Convention Establishing the Word Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), signed at Stockholm in 1967.

The deposit occurred past July 2th, 2016 and will enter into force October 27th, 2016.

Aiming at making the protection of intellectual property a more efficient process, Thailand has amended its Trademarks Act of B.E. 2534 (1991).

The amendments were published in the Royal Gazette on April 29, 2016 and become effective on July 28, 90 days after the publication date.

Significant changes were introduced which we may summarize as follows.