It is interesting to note that although the EPO has been providing applicants and their representatives with the opportunity to be heard via video conferencing since 1998, it is the Covid-19 pandemic that has necessitated the provision to be availed by default. A decision to this effect has been implemented from 2 April 2020, thereby [...]
Having covered in some detail the history of patents in Ireland in early September, we now turn our attention to the history of trade marks, with some further insight into the history of MacLachlan & Donaldson as well. The history of trade marks The history of trade marks is far less documented than that of [...]
On 11th June 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) handed its key decision Brompton Bicycle Ltd. v. Chedech / Get2Get (Case C‑833/18). In this judgment several points are discussed, including the overlap between copyright and design law and whether a mass-produced product such as the Brompton bicycle, with a design which [...]
M&D provide a a full IP service to our clients, and this includes some of the less well known aspects of IP, including advice on design and copyright. We will be hosting a webinar on Wednesday, 30th September at 12.30 to discuss these aspects in more detail. You can book a place at our webinar [...]
We've been looking at the history of intellectual property in our trivia posts over the past months, and looking at how it evolved in Ireland. We'd like to share a bit more here on the history of IP in Ireland, for those of us who are history buffs as well as IP experts. Patents and [...]
The EUIPO Grand Board of Appeal handed down its decision on April 2020 on an appeal against a declaration of invalidity of a registration for a device mark with the wording ‘La Irlandesa’, shown below. The Board of Appeal held that the mark was deceptive and in bad faith according to Articles 7(1)(g) and 59(1)(b) [...]
I enjoy baked beans; on toast, on a baked potato with cheese, with an Ulster fry (I know, sacrilege), in a toastie, and in a myriad of other ways. But they have got to be Heinz baked beans. I’ve tried other brands of baked beans but they are just not the same. When I go [...]
We have been running a series of webinars on the basics of Intellectual Property ('IP') over the past three months here at M&D, and we will round out the series by looking at Design and Copyright in September. In order to help you, we have summarised the key points on the fundamentals of IP in [...]
The Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) handed down its eagerly awaited judgement of Case C-371/18 Sky plc et. -v- SkyKick UK Ltd et., on 29th January 2020. In this judgement, the CJEU addressed a number of key issues, namely: the use of specifications covering broad terms such as 'computer software' and whether an [...]
The coronavirus pandemic has had a great impact on the economy and businesses around the world bringing budget discussions to the forefront. In such tough times, one must not neglect Intellectual Property (IP) assets and their protection to focus on other tangible assets. Businesses will undoubtedly be cutting costs and stopping unnecessary spending, however it [...]
