Enforcement

The way we create art reflects how we engage with the world around us. For many artists, creation is rooted in personal identity, cultural heritage, and lived experience.

With the rise of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), a new space for artistic and cultural storytelling has emerged. This space allows creators to present their art alongside the narratives and identities that shaped it.

With deep expertise in intellectual property law and a role as an expert at the UPC Mediation and Arbitration Centre, Vitor Palmela Fidalgo shares the challenges and priorities of advising clients on IP matters both locally and internationally, and explains how the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is shaping patent litigation, enforcement, and broader IP trends in Portugal and across Europe.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the ultimate buzzword at the moment. But from a patent-based perspective, it is more than just the new fad: it is a pointer to technological developments and signals what consumers should expect from new products coming to the market in the near future.

For all the patent attorneys out there, it is also an indicator of the technologies we will be expected to deal with and translate into patent documents. So let’s have a look at what has been happening in the past few years.

When it all started

We are proud to share that Inventa has once again been recognised in the 2025 edition of the IAM Patent 1000, a leading guide dedicated to identifying top patent professionals worldwide. In the Prosecution category for Portugal, Inventa was highlighted for its continued excellence and expertise in the field.

The Harare Protocol, one of ARIPO’s cornerstone agreements, allows applicants to secure protection for patents, utility models, and industrial designs through a single ARIPO application, with the same effect as if filed directly in each designated member state. This regional mechanism has long been a valuable tool for rights holders seeking efficient, centralized IP protection across participating African jurisdictions. In this context, we would like to highlight the recent expansion of the system.

As of March 1, 2025, the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) has enacted a series of major amendments to its governing legal instrument, the Harare Protocol, which regulates the procedure for the protection of patents and industrial designs among its member states.

Vítor Palmela Fidalgo shares his insights in "Platforms Pay the Price", published in WIPR – World IP Review, Issue 1 (2025), which explores the growing accountability of online platforms as evolving European regulations push them to take greater responsibility for counterfeit goods sold by third-party vendors.

The intersection of intellectual property (IP) and genomics is reshaping the landscape of healthcare, biotechnology, and business in Nigeria. Genomics—the study of an organism’s entire genetic material—has profound implications for medical research, personalised medicine, agriculture, and pharmaceutical innovations. However, ensuring equitable benefits and commercial viability requires a robust IP framework.

From music and film to fashion and digital content, Nigeria’s creative sectors are thriving on a global scale. 

Olusola Tunmise-Ajani explores how strengthening legal frameworks and enhancing awareness of intellectual property rights can empower Nigerian creatives to protect, structure, and monetise their creative works.