On 23 June 2016, the referendum held in the UK tailored history and after 43 years of membership, a small majority of UK citizens decided to leave the EU. As one of the leading countries, with the second largest nominal GDP in the EU, it is safe to say things will now have to notably change. However, it should be mentioned that the switch will not come overnight, there are negotiations to be held and conditions to be met, and the real exit is not expected for a couple more years.

First thing to know is that EU trademark and design systems will no longer be applicable in the UK. Likewise, EU Courts will no longer be an option for the UK citizens.

  Weiterlesen über Impact of BREXIT on European Intellectual Property

The two Merck pharmaceutical magnates have shared one name for decades. However, their coexistence has become anything but peaceful, with mutual lawsuits filed all over Europe, and not without good reason. The namesakes managed to confuse everyone, including Facebook, and it is safe to say it is time for a new solution of their problem. Even the European Court of Justice (ECJ) got involved, as their case pointed a few questionable areas of the European Union Trademark Regulation.

Background of the case Weiterlesen über The multitude of Merck lawsuits gets CJEU involved

On the final morning of the ECTA Annual Meeting, the first four sessions were all about presenting different points of view on the same topic. One session was on Prior Rights Agreements, introducing the topic from an industry worker’s perspective and a practitioner’s. The parallel session was on Copyrights. The first speaker was Dr. Florian Drücke from German Federation of the Music Industry. He started by admitting that the industry reacted very late to the emerge of the Internet. They did not take it seriously until early 2000, but, after realizing it is a tool that is here to stay, expressly started finding ways to protect copyright online. Their current goal is the development of a sustainable digital market and establishing better offer of legally downloadable goods. However, battling pirate content is proving to be very hard. Weiterlesen über ECTA, DAY THREE: On Different Perspectives and Progress

As mentioned in the previous post, LexDellmeier is attending the ECTA Annual Meeting. ECTA, short for European Communities Trademark Association is an association promoting the knowledge and professionalism of members and owners alike in the fields of trade marks, designs, copyrights and other Intellectual Property rights, within the European Union. Among many other activities, they organize the Annual Meeting, this time taking place in the beautiful Dubrovnik, a historic gem in the south of the Croatian coast. We have prepared a short overview of each day of the Meeting. Weiterlesen über ECTA, DAY ONE: on particularities and achieving harmonization