Today, on 17 October 2013, the 40th anniversary of the signature of the European Patent Convention (EPC) in Munich, Germany, is being celebrated. The festivities are taking place at the Headquarters of the European Patent Office (EPO), the German Technological Museum ("Deutsches Museum") and the Munich Residenz, where the celebration ends after a concert given by the Patent Orchestra Munich. Please find the full program of the 40th anniversary, including the winners of the EPO Innovation Contest here: Read more about 40th Anniversary of the European Patent Convention (EPC)

Did you know that every minute 219 counterfeit goods are detained in the EU? Fact is that the value of intercepted goods in 2012 was still extremely high, at nearly €1 billion. The EU Counterfeiting Report 2012 in detail gives statistics on the type, provenance and transport method of counterfeit products detained at the EU's external borders. According to the report, cigarettes accounted for a large number of interceptions (31%), miscellaneous goods (e.g. bottles, lamps, glue, batteries, washing powder) were the next largest category (12%), followed by packaging materials (10%). Postal and courier packages accounted for around 70% of customs interventions in 2012, with 23% of the detentions in postal traffic concerning medicines.   Read more about Counterfeiting in the EU - One Minute in the life of the EU Customs

The world's fifth largest national patent and trade mark office (GPTO / DPMA) has now published its annual report 2012 English, which includes information and statistics all around patents, trademarks, utility models, designs etc.                      Read more about The 2012 Annual Report 2012 of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office

By chance we came across this piece of artwork called "The Corporate States of America". It is a graphic design developed by the writer, graphic artist and photographer Steve Lovelace. As trademark and design enthusiasts, we thought we must share this with you. (c) 2012 Steve Lovelace Read more about Where US trademarks are headquartered - "The Corporate States of America" - a Piece of ART