Blog
Grace period in the patent system: a commercial advantage?
The fact that some jurisdictions provide a grace period during which, before the patent application is filed, the inventor can disclose the invention without any limitation with respect to the form or purpose of the disclosure and without this preventing the registration of the patent, as opposed to jurisdictions in the EPC system that do […]
The EU resolves doubts surrounding the protection of trademarks in relation to NFTs
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has issued its guidelines on the classification of goods and services relating to NFTs, establishing the bases to approach the legal challenges resulting from their registration and the scope of protection afforded to owners. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have come to hold a fundamental place in the digital […]
Protection for Talavera pottery, Elche footwear or Albacete knives
An EU proposal for a regulation could help protect craft products and the qualities attributed to specific local skills and traditions. Talavera pottery, Elche footwear and Albacete knives are undoubtedly well-known the world over. The challenge now is to protect them on the register as geographical indications of craft and industrial products. The EU specifically […]
God Save the Queen: what will happen to the Royal Warrants granted by the late Queen?
Royal Warrants of Appointment are granted to companies or traders that supply products and services to the Royal Household. In this post, we will look at what will happen to these distinctions now that the Queen has passed away. Following the sad loss of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, an icon among the […]
The rise of the Unified Patent Court system in Europe
The entry into force of the Unified Patent Court is one step closer. European patent owners will soon have a new Court with jurisdiction over lawsuits involving patents. After a bumpy path since the enactment of European Regulation 1257/2012 of 17 December 2012 almost 10 years ago, implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the […]
Trademarks filed in bad faith: the Portuguese experience of the past 3 years
When harmonising E.U. regulations, an extensive range of interpretations are tacitly accepted when new concepts arise. This is particularly true when the lawmakers find it difficult to define the boundaries of the term in question, given the plethora of situations it encompasses. Moreover, including these terms in our legal system is not an easy taskand […]