What's inside our April issue

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What's inside our April issue

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Copyright rankings, design developments, managing brand protection, a rare patent case in Hong Kong, our latest UPC scenario, and why you have been doing patent drawings wrong - just some of the articles in the April issue of Managing IP

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The April issue of the magazine was published on April 1, and is available to read online: sign in with your subscription details or take out a free trial for seven days. In this issue:

  • I report on the recent INTA/AIPPI Designs Conference in Singapore in our cover story "Why we love (and hate) design rights". We offer five reasons why design rights are great, and (in the interests of balance) five reasons why they might not be. The article includes links to our coverage of the recent Trunki designs case at the UK Supreme Court and the Apple v Samsung dispute heading to the US Supreme Court.

  • Katrina Burchell and Célia Ullmann look at the struggles companies face in organising their brand protection internal structure, budgets and reporting lines - and offer some practical advice in "How to manage brand protection internally"

  • The third article in our series looking at hypothetical scenarios in the UPC considers a standards case from the defendant's perspective. Michael Carter, Nick Cunningham and David Barron assess how the legal, procedural and competition issues will be handled in the new system.

  • Wenhui Zhang and Stephen Zou review recent decisions on supporting patent claims in China. This article is particularly relevant for those involved in the biotech and pharma industries.

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  • Till Lampel and Martina Pfaff look at a string of interesting trade mark cases from Germany involving colours, sweets and animals (pictured left).

  • Patent cases at Hong Kong's Court of Appeal are rare, but a recent judgment addressed sufficiency, novelty and inventive step among other issues. Nina Fitzgerald and Jeffrey McLean discuss it.

  • In a thought-provoking article on "The advantages of numeral word labelling", Amit Kumar Singh of TATA Steel asks if there is a better, clearer way to label the figures in patent documents.

The April issue also includes our roundups of IP news and moves, highlights from the Managing IP blog, website and social media, a special Utynam's Heirs from the International Patent Forum and our monthly collection of sponsored and free-to-read international briefings, covering the latest developments from Africa to Vietnam. 

It also features the third and final part of the IP STARS 2016 firm rankings, with the top copyright firms listed. See our recent blog post for more details.

Coming up in our bumper May issue, distributed from May 1:

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    All the news and photos from the Managing IP Global and North America Awards dinners (pictured right)

  • Disparaging marks in the US - analysis

  • Why the case law on design rights in the EU is looking up

  • Trade mark infringement and OEM in China - the latest cases discussed

  • Sports sponsorship: what to do when an endorser goes rogue

  • The top 250 women in IP listed

Plus much, much more!

Some of these articles will be available online before the hard copy is published, so to ensure you have immediate access, subscribe now and get the Managing IP emails.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

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After five IP partners left the firm for White & Case, the IP market could yet see more laterals
The court plans to introduce a system for expert-led SEP mediation, intended to help parties come to an agreement within three sessions
Paul Chapman and Robert Lind, who are retiring from Marks & Clerk after 30-year careers, discuss workplace loyalty, client care, and why we should be optimistic but cautious about AI
Brantsandpatents is seeking to boost its expertise across key IP services in the Benelux region
Shwetasree Majumder, managing partner of Fidus Law Chambers, discusses fighting gender bias and why her firm is building a strong AI and tech expertise
Hady Khawand, founder of AÏP Genius, discusses creating an AI-powered IP platform, and why, with the law evolving faster than ever, adaptability is key
UK firm Shakespeare Martineau, which secured victory for the Triton shower brand at the Court of Appeal, explains how it navigated a tricky test regarding patent claim scopes
The firm’s managing partner said the city is an ‘exciting hub of ideas and innovation’
In our latest podcast, Deborah Hampton talks through her hopes for the year, INTA’s patent focus, London 2026, and her love of music
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