European TECH Law

China has been steadily overhauling its IP system for well over a decade. Last week, in the latest development, China joined WIPO’s Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs bringing the total number of countries covered by the Hague System to 94. China is the largest market that remained outside of the Hague System until now. The EU, US, UK and Japan are all already members and the system is increasingly popular: the number of designs applied for

The Court of Appeal recently found that a company which had acquired the BEVERLY HILLS POLO CLUB trade marks was bound by an arbitration clause in an agreement signed by its predecessor. More details on the first instance decision are here. Arbitration clauses are common in many tech agreements and, as this case shows, these clauses can have far reaching an unintended consequences not just on the original parties but on their successors in title. The case is Lifestyle Equitie

The unitary patent represents the biggest change to the IP landscape in Europe since the Community Trade Mark (now EUTM). Even if you’re not in a patent heavy industry, it has significant potential ramifications. Currently patents are granted on a country by country basis. Under the new system, a patent applicant will have the option to apply for a “unitary patent" or "UP” designation which means their patent will be granted as a single right across all UP states. This means

Trade marks give you the exclusive right to use a particular "sign" in your business for particular goods and services. They can potentially last forever provided that you keep using the trade mark and keep paying fees to the relevant intellectual property office. What is a sign? A sign is anything which distinguishes one business from other business. Commonly this is a word or a logo but in Europe, it can be anything provided it can be recorded in some form of permanent medi