Category: Intellectual Property
Portugal strengthens copyright protection on the Internet
The tension between freedom of expression and copyright protection has lately been one of the hottest topics in EU and Portuguese copyright laws. Nobody questions the fact that IP laws need to be enforced on the internet. However, at times, excessive intervention can have a negative impact on users’ freedom of expression and information, since […]
Happy Pills vs Molagominola: The Supreme Court rules that unfair competition has not taken place
The Supreme Court has addressed a case that brings to light the restrictive application of the Unfair Competition Law in scenarios involving the potential imitation of similar products. On June 25, 2021, the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal filed by Happy Pills, S.L against Fresh & Good, S.L (Molagominola) and FNAC, […]
Tradition has no shape: the protection of a design does not depend on the type of product in which it is incorporated
Simply applying the typical pattern of a “cachirulo” (traditional Aragonese bandana) on a different item of clothing does not confer individual character on the design Albeit still toned down due to the restrictions of the pandemic, the recent celebration of the festival of the Virgin of Pilar has given the inhabitants of Zaragoza the chance […]
ESG and SDG, the two must-know acronyms that can improve your company’s reputation
This week marks the sixth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. For any companies that have not yet started working toward these goals…now is the time! Not only will it help build […]
Data libraries are not eligible for protection as computer programs
A judgment handed down by the Barcelona Provincial Appellate Court on April 7, 2021 sheds more light on the scope of protection of computer programs by clarifying that data libraries included in programs are not eligible for protection as part of the programs but rather, where applicable, must seek the protection afforded to databases […]
World Intellectual Property Indicators 2020 or how all roads lead to China (ii): trademarks, industrial designs and creative industry
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has published its World Intellectual Property Indicators Report 2020, which contains valuable information on changes in intellectual property indicators and trends worldwide, from 2018 to 2019, as we discussed in this post. Since these changes have an impact on various different industries and on the economy in general, in […]