The European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China (SIPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) are referred to as the IP5 Offices. The IP5 PPH pilot programme commenced on 6th January 2014 and will continue for [...]
Jonathan White is attending the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) 2014 Mid-Winter Institute from Wednesday 20th January - Saturday 1st February 2014 at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, Phoenix, Arizona. This event will focus on the development of a comprehensive Intellectual Property strategy from the start of a new technology to the jump into the international [...]
Doctor Who has hit the headlines for more than one reason recently. On the 50th anniversary of the British science-fiction TV show produced by the BBC, Stef Coburn, the son of one of the original writers of the show, has claimed ownership of rights in the TARDIS. For those of you who are not Whovians [...]
In this article we look at a couple of mistakes brand owners sometimes make when adopting a new trade mark. Failure to search All too often stories hit the headlines of companies adopting trade marks, spending thousands of Euros on packaging, publicity materials and marketing, only to have to re-brand when challenged by the owner [...]
Before embarking on a new business venture, there are some pitfalls in IP that are avoidable with the right advice. These include:- •Publicly disclosing an innovation before filing a patent application: Making an innovation “available to the public” by launching the product, engaging in any form of non-confidential disclosure e.g. publishing details of the innovation [...]
The current IPR Regulation will be replaced on the 1st of January 2014 by Council Regulation No. 608 of 2013. This new Regulation will simplify the process where the Customs Authorities intervene in suspected cases of counterfeit goods, namely from January 2014 a new application form must be used for "applications for action" while there [...]
Denis McCarthy, Carla MacLachlan and Mary Hunt attended the ISME (Irish Small and Medium Enterprises) Annual Conference at the RDS on Friday, November 8 2013.
Dr. Yvonne McKeown will be attending the Executive Committee meeting of UNION in Liechtenstein on November 13th to 15th.
Bernadette Walsh, who is on the INTA Programs Committee, will be attending the Leadership Meeting in Miami Beach in the United States. According to the INTA website, the Leadership Meeting will be "rich in hot topics and trademark flare". The sessions will include advanced-level topics highlighting the rapid evolution in technologies, the latest information on [...]
The news section of the European Patent Office website www.epo.org notes today that an amendment of the provisions of the European Patent Convention dealing with the requirements for the filing of divisional applications has been adopted. The decision enters into force on 1st April 2014 and will apply to divisional applications filed on or after [...]