Blog
The Influencers’ Code of Conduct comes into force on January 1, 2021: are you aware of your obligations?
Autocontrol and Asociación Española de Anunciantes (Spanish Advertisers’ Association or AEA) agree on the ethical standards that should be applied to advertising by influencers from January 1, 2021. It clarifies doubts about ‘safe’ labels such as “ad” or “sponsored by”, when they should be used and the contractual obligations that members should follow. We summarize […]
Messi wins the battle against the mark ‘Massi’ after a decade-long dispute
The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed the appeals filed by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the Spanish company J-M.E.V e hijos S.R.L., in a dispute that has lasted for almost a decade and which finally recognizes that the world-famous F.C. Barcelona player, Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini, holds exclusive […]
Banksy case: registration of a trademark in bad faith and the price of anonymity
In a recent decision, the EUIPO has cancelled street artist Banksy’s trademark for the well-known artwork ‘Flower Bomber” for being filed in bad faith. The EUIPO ruled that at the time the application was filed, the artist had no intention of using the sign as a trademark and that he only used it subsequently to […]
During lockdown applications for utility models to stop viruses grew in Spain
During the state of emergency, at least 110 applications for utility models were filed for products related to the fight against the pandemic. For individuals and small and medium-sized companies, utility models are an attractive way of protecting rights given the speed at which such applications are processed. The COVID-19 crisis led Spain to declare […]
New criteria for protecting three-dimensional trademarks
It is not always easy to determine the minimum threshold for distinctiveness when protecting a three-dimensional trademark. Given the disparate criteria applied by European justice in this matter, and with a view to providing a joint solution to the issue, a guide for Common Practice has been issued for the procedures that were put in […]
COVID-19 and the compulsory licensing of patents
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries may review their internal legislation on compulsory licensing of patents for medical products so that it can be granted smoothly and speedily, in case it does become a necessity. As the world eagerly awaits any and all developments in therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent COVID-19, […]