Samoa acceded to the Madrid Protocol on December 4, 2018. The Protocol will enter into force with respect to Samoa on March 4, 2019. Samoa will be the 103rd member of the Madrid System. See more www.wipo.int
Israel: Blocking Orders Permissible Against ISPS
On January 1, 2019, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) approved Amendment No. 5 to Israel’s Copyright Law, which adds the following provisions:
- Indirect copyright infringement by making copyright-protected content available to the public (new Section 48A);
- Restriction of access to an internet site by court order (new Section 53A);
Myanmar: New Trademark and Industrial Design Laws
The new Myanmar Trademark and Geographical Indication and Industrial Design Laws were signed by the President on January 30, 2019. Now for the first time, there will be an Intellectual Property Office to handle IP matters, including registration. While the laws have been signed, neither will come into force until further notification by the President. More
Mexico: Update on Declaration of Use
We update our September 2018 article on the requirement to file Declarations of Actual and Effective Use under the amendments to the Mexican Industrial Property law. At that time, it was unclear whether the requirement would apply (i) only to registrations granted as of August 10,More
Malawi: New Trademark Act
On October 1, 2018, Malawi implemented the Trademarks Act, 2 of 2018, replacing the Trade Marks Act 1957. The new Act effects the following salient updates to trademark law in Malawi:
- Concept of “trademark” is broadened to include non-visual signs.
- Service marks are now protectable,
Denmark: New Trademark Act
A new Danish Trademark Act was implemented on January 1, 2019. Among the significant changes are:
- Filing fees are now charged per class (previously, the same fee was charged for the first three classes).
- The following types of marks may now be registered:
Czech Republic: Important Changes to Trademark Law
Effective January 1,
2019, the Czech Industrial Property Office ceased rejecting trademark
applications ex officio based on prior conflicting identical registered
trademarks. Rather, trademark owners
must monitor published marks and oppose any conflicting marks within three months
of publication. Additional changes include the ability to register
certification marks,More
China: National IP Court of Appeals Established
In an October 2018 decision, China’s National People’s Congress (“NPC”) approved a proposal to establish a new specialized intellectual property appeals court within the Supreme People’s Court (the “SPC”) in Beijing, effective as of January 2019. The IP Tribunal will serve as a national IP appellate court overseeing patent disputes,More
USPTO: Launch of Expedited Cancellation Pilot Program
In June 2017, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) proposed streamlined cancellation procedures in an effort to save practitioners and trademark owners both time and money. In January 2019, that vision became a reality when the USPTO announced the launch of its Expedited Cancellation Pilot Program (the “Pilot Program”). More
U.S. Copyright: Numerous Works Enter Public Domain for First Time in Over Two Decades
Last month, for the first time since 1998, a large collection of books, films, musical compositions, paintings, and other works entered the public domain in the United States. Works such as Charlie Chaplin’s The Pilgrim, Cecil B. DeMille’s The 10 Commandments,More