WORLD TRADEMARK REVIEW Issue 63

The first raft of changes to the EU trademark system are now in effect, having been implemented in March in exemplary fashion. The EU Intellectual Property Office’s next challenge is to repeat the trick for the remaining changes

Asia-Pacific is leading the world when it comes to IP collateralisation. Singapore’s groundbreaking IP Financing Scheme recently saw the approval of its first patent-backed loan – and hopefully, lending against trademarks is not far behind

Multiple issues are affected by the decision of where to hold a business’s IP assets. As such, analysis of the legal, tax and business considerations is merely the starting point

Against a backdrop of inflated official and law firm fees, rights holders need to engage in benchmarking exercises to ensure they are not overpaying for renewals

Ground-breaking decisions have made merchandising rights a useful tool in the battle against bad-faith trademarks

Recent fee increases are just one area of change creating challenges for brand owners in the Middle East and Africa

There have been a number of instances of defunct brands being reintroduced into the marketplace in recent months. However, current case law on the topic of residual goodwill is inconsistent at best and – whether original owner or resurrector – there is much to consider

Counterfeiting is a serious problem in Africa. While laws are in place to tackle illicit trade, practical enforcement is often complicated by local capacity and attitudes

The past year has been a busy one in Alicante. In addition to expanding its tools and activities, the EU Intellectual Property Office had to prepare for the changes ushered in by the European trademark reform package. In this year’s annual survey, we asked users to assess its performance during this period of change

The international rules on ambush marketing and promotional activities surrounding sports events present a complex maze for counsel to navigate

Trademark counsel from laws firms across 20 jurisdictions in Europe provide an overview of the performance of their countries’ EU trademark courts

The Brazilian courts have handed down a number of positive decisions for rights holders, mitigating the impact of lengthy delays at the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office

To date, no liability has been attributed to brand ambassadors where the brands they endorse have failed to live up to expectations. However, that could be set to change

Trademark-related quotes, opinions and observations from around the globe

The impact of Brexit on trademarks is still unclear. Might brand owners be better served by a European system which maintains the principal features of the current system, but applies them to smaller groupings of territories?