Publications

Negotiations on a new Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) were launched back in 2007 with the aim of creating an international framework to better enforce intellectual property rights. The plan is not to do this by developing new IP rights but rather by seeking international standards on how to take measures against large-scale infringements of these rights. At this stage negotiations are still ongoing. The question is this: from a European perspective, why is this agreement required?

A growing number of biotechnology inventions relate to peptides, oligonucleotides and other small molecules that could be used in therapeutic applications. Caroline Pallard explains the challenges of patenting such inventions.

The automotive sector has seen quite unsettled times. Even the largest car manufacturers have run into having to take drastic measures.

Two recent decisions mean greater protection for owners of well-known brands, as Kayin Pang explains. On June 18, 2009, the European Court of Justice rendered a decision on a question between L’Oréal and Bellure about profiting from the success of a well-known brand. L’Oréal is the owner of well-known trademarks for perfumes such as Trésor, Miracle, Anaïs-Anaïs and Noa Noa, and owns various trademark registrations for these well-known brands.

On April 1 2010 the European Patent Convention will be amended in a manner that will have a fundamental impact on IP business and strategy. The implementing regulations of the convention will be amended in regard to the possibility of filing divisional applications. Similarly, the rules on the European search report will also be changed.