Drop in EUTMs will cost national IP offices
The EUIPO will not issue lucrative payouts to national intellectual property offices in 2024 because of a drop in trademark filings this year, the office confirmed to Managing IP on Wednesday, December 7.
The latest EUIPO budget, adopted on November 24, predicted that the office would not generate a surplus in the 2022 financial year, meaning the mechanism for compensating national IP offices would not be triggered.
A statement from the EUIPO to Managing IP said the office had been hit by global economic uncertainties and rising inflation.
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Huawei signs its largest ever 5G cross-licence deal with Oppo
Huawei has agreed a seminal cross-licensing deal with Oppo on cellular standard essential patents, the Chinese technology company announced today, December 9.
The smartphone maker also extended its cross-licensing arrangement with Samsung for the same technologies.
While the licences covered various patents and technologies, 5G was the primary focus.
Both agreements represented the largest licensing deals Huawei had ever signed within China and globally.
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Focus on quality over quantity, in-house urge EPO
The EPO must prioritise patent quality alongside speed of grant, in-house counsel argued at a public roundtable meeting Thursday, December 8.
More than 70 people, including representatives from industry, law firms, and national patent offices, attended the Industry Patent Quality Charter meeting.
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UPC delayed by two months over CMS issues
The opening of the Unified Patent Court has been delayed by two months because of issues with the case management system, top court officials announced Monday, December 5.
The sunrise period will begin on March 1, leading to an official opening in June. The UPC had been scheduled to open on April 1.
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Indian parliament to consider amendments to TM and GI laws
The Indian parliament will consider newly tabled amendments to the country’s trademark and geographical indication laws in its winter session, scheduled to convene from December 7 to December 29, it was announced on Sunday, December 4.
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Other articles published by Managing IP this week include:
UPC must use extra time on CMS training, counsel argue
The 50 most influential people in IP 2022
TTAB timelines frustrate counsel despite workarounds
Ex-parte reexams drop after Fintiv change but still seen as useful
Elsewhere in IP
EU escalates WTO complaint against China
The European Commission formally requested the formation of a World Trade Organization panel to review its complaint over China’s use of anti-suit injunctions on Wednesday, December 7.
According to the EU, Chinese courts have unduly blocked standard essential patent owners from enforcing their rights.
The WTO will likely form the panels in early 2023, and proceedings could last up to a year and a half.
Two Birds expands Dublin team
Intellectual property litigator Michael Finn will join Bird & Bird’s new Dublin office as a partner in January, the firm announced on Tuesday, December 6.
Finn will join from Pinsent Masons, where he was a partner in the IP and commercial litigation team.
“We are very happy to welcome Michael to our Bird & Bird team in Ireland.
“Michael is highly regarded in the Irish legal market and has wide-ranging expertise advising on IP litigation, commercial disputes, and life sciences matters,” said partners Deirdre Kilroy and Anna Morgan.
SCOTUS buries $2.8bn patent award against Cisco
Cisco has escaped the $2.8 billion patent damages award it was ordered to pay Centripetal in 2020 after the Supreme Court refused to revive the dispute on Monday, December 5.
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned the award in June this year because the Virginia judge who authored the decision failed to disclose that his wife owned Cisco stock worth $4,688.
Centripetal wanted the Supreme Court to step in and reinstate the award but the high court’s denial of cert on Monday gave Cisco a reprieve.
EPO sticks to unitary patent plans despite UPC delay
The EPO will still allow early requests for unitary effect and delayed grant from January 1, even though the unitary patent system will no longer start on that date, the office confirmed on Tuesday, December 7.
The EPO’s transitional measures had been planned to align with the schedule of the Unified Patent Court, which has been pushed back by two months amid issues with the content management system.
Murgitroyd expands UK and Ireland presence with TLIP buyout
Scotland-based intellectual property firm Murgitroyd has acquired Turnbull Lynch IP, its fourth such deal in two years, the firms announced yesterday, December 8.
The buyout will expand Murgitroyd’s presence across the UK and Ireland with the addition of TLIP's nine patent attorneys and five support staff in Cambridge, Dublin, and Leeds.
Murgitroyd now has a staff of more than 470 people, including 140 attorneys.
TLIP staff in Dublin and Leeds will join Murgitroyd’s offices in those cities, while the Cambridge office will be a new location for the group.
Murgitroyd has been owned by private equity investor Sovereign Capital in 2019.
