UGANDA: New Intellectual Property Law Comes into Effect
The Ugandan Industrial Property Act of 2014 is now in force.
The main features are summarised below:
a) Patents and Utility Models
Finally, PCT international and national phase applications will be recognised.
Apart from this, some major rules regarding biotechnological inventions are introduced, namely, some patent exclusions were provide, such as, natural substances, whether purified, synthetized or otherwise isolated from nature.
ANDORRA: Patent Law Enters in Force
The Principality of Andorra was, until January 2016, one of the only two European countries where it was not possible to protect inventions throughout patent applications (along with the Vatican City).
This is no longer the situation, as the Patent Law 26/2014, passed by the Principality of Andorra in 30th October in 2014, entered in force in January 2016.
Will the European Unitary Patent Worsen the Problem of Patent Trolls?
Patent stakeholders are already familiar with the problems of patent trolls. Every day they are used to hearing about the problems resulting from the behaviour of such “patent owners”. As it is commonly known, a patent troll is a pejorative term employed to describe certain individual persons or companies that misuse patents as a strategy to obtain royalties.
São Tomé and Príncipe Joins the Banjul Protocol (ARIPO)
As from the 27th of February 2016, São Tomé and Principe will effectively become a member of ARIPO. It will therefore be possible to designate São Tomé and Príncipe in an ARIPO application filed on or after the 19th of August 2014.
The government of S. Tomé and Príncipe deposited its instrument of Accession to the Banjul Protocol on the 27th of November of 2015.
The accession of São Tomé and Príncipe makes it the 18th member state party to the Harare Protocol (patents, industrial designs and utility models).
Kuwait: Increase in Official Fees for all IP Matters
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has informed that the official fees for most intellectual property transactions will be increased. The measure will most likely become effective as from the 21st of December, 2015.
The increase will affect all trademark, patents and industrial design applications filed after the aforementioned date as well as retroactively for pending applications.
The decision has not been officially announced yet, the announcement will most probably be published in the Official Gazette on the 21st of December this year.
US: Apple Loses Patent Lawsuit to University of Wisconsin
Apple has lost a patent lawsuit to the University of Wisconsin and risks paying fines of up to $860 million for utilising a design owned by the University’s licensing arm without permission.
Nigeria: PTO initiates the digitalization of the Nigerian Trademark database
There have been new developments regarding the digitization of the Nigerian Trade Mark database. The Nigerian Registry of Trademarks, Patents & Designs has issued an update regarding their data capture project. The announcement made by the Office claimed that the digitization of the Nigerian trade mark database will commence on the 1st of October 2015. The project counts with the collaboration of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Crimea: Time extension for Re-Registration
The secession from Ukraine and consequent annexation to Russia of the territory of Crimea has resulted in the integration into the economic, financial, credit and legal system of the Russian Federation.
The treaty of March 18, 2014 that determined the terms of the annexation to Russia envisaged that Russian patents and trademarks would be valid and enforceable in the territory of Crimea, on the contrary to Ukrainian patents and trademarks which would no longer be considered valid or feasable.
APDI Award Professor José de Oliveira Ascensão 2015
One of our IP attorneys from our Portugal office, Master Vitor Fidalgo, was yesterday distinguished with the First Award "Professor José de Oliveira Ascensão" as part of his Master's thesis entitled "Compulsory licenses of Industrial Property Rights".
World Health Assembly: Is a compulsory licensing a solution against the high price of medicines?
The Sixty-eighth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) took place in Geneva 18–26 May 2015. One of the issues that have been addressed was the high prices of medicines in Europe. Actually this is a growing problem in the EU. In the past few years the price of the medicines have been increasing exceeding the ability of the patients to pay for it. It is enough to recall the recent case involving the drugs to treat hepatitis C (HCV) which have an unsustainable price when compared to previous generation treatments.