Peppa Pig owner snorts at ‘fallacious’ Wolfoo howls
In our first exclusive of December, we reported on the latest in the battle between wolf and pig. The owner of the intellectual property rights to Peppa Pig had to explain YouTube’s policies after it was accused by a Vietnamese platform of unfairly securing takedowns from YouTube.
In a letter sent to various Vietnamese government departments in November, and seen by Managing IP, eOne said it rejected all claims made by SConnect, a video platform in Vietnam that produces a series about a cartoon wolf called Wolfoo.
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UPC chief judge signals new guidelines on judicial conflicts
In perhaps the biggest story of November, reporter Rory O’Neill secured an interview with Klaus Grabinski, the most senior judge at the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Grabinski, who will be president of the UPC Court of Appeal, addressed the controversy over part-time judges.
The UPC could issue new guidelines on how to manage judicial conflicts of interest before the new system opens next year, he revealed.
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Tillis to push USPTO-FDA bill through before year end
Over in the US, deputy managing editor Patrick Wingrove revealed early in November that Senator Thom Tillis planned to put his USPTO-FDA collaboration bill to a full Senate vote before the end of the year.
The bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee passed unanimously in July, would amend Section 2c of the US Code to allow the USPTO director to create an interagency task force on patents between the office and the Food and Drug Administration, if enacted.
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Republican-majority House will target litigation funding
Sticking with the US but looking slightly further into the future, we also revealed what a Republican-backed House of Representatives could mean for intellectual property.
A source on Capitol Hill told us prior to the midterm elections on November 8 that a Republican-majority House of Representatives would focus on litigation funding and China’s IP practices in 2023.
The Republicans did end up gaining control of the House, but didn't secure the Senate.
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AST eyes expansion into med tech and fintech
Rounding off a trio of US stories, reporter Rani Mehta secured an exclusive interview with Allied Security Trust, which said it hoped to add more members in the health tech and fintech sectors.
The organisation’s CEO Russell Binns said more non-practising entity litigation could soon emerge in these areas, making risk mitigation more important.
AST buys patents that its members want to license to reduce patent assertion risk.
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UK Supreme Court dates for DABUS and SkyKick appeals revealed
To the UK next, where, in quick succession, Managing IP exclusively revealed the dates of two significant cases that the Supreme Court has earmarked for 2023.
First up, Rory O’Neill reported that the court would hear an appeal on whether an artificial intelligence tool called DABUS could be named as an inventor on a patent application, on March 2.
Separately, Max Walters brought news that the Sky v SkyKick hearing, which centres on bad-faith trademark filing, would be heard over two days on June 28 and 29.
The dates have yet to be published on the court’s official website
Delhi court denies Nokia’s plea in SEP feud against Oppo
Next up was the news of the latest battle in the global standard essential patent dispute between Nokia and Oppo.
Asia reporter Sukanya Sarkar was first to view an order from the Delhi High Court, issued on November 17, which denied Nokia’s plea for an order for Oppo to deposit royalty payments with the court as security.
The court, which at the time of Managing IP’s report had yet to publish its judgment, reserved its decision in December 2021 following extensive arguments from both sides.
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India to resist UK 'patent evergreening' demands
It was a busy month for India-related scoops. Managing IP was also able to bring unique insight into the Indian government’s stance regarding a proposed free trade agreement with the UK.
A source revealed on November 10 that the government would stand firm on restricting so-called patent evergreening, despite the UK’s demands for reform in this area.
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Colombian firm OlarteMoure to launch venture capital fund
We also brought you an exclusive from Latin America. Lawyers at Colombian law firm OlarteMoure told Rani Mehta that they planned to raise at least $8 million to fund start-ups.
The IP firm wanted to raise between $8 million and $10 million for the pot to invest in Colombian and other Latin American start-ups in deep tech. It will launch the fund in 2023.
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Cartoon maker hits back at Peppa Pig online takedowns
Lastly, November saw an earlier twist in the bitter dispute between the maker of the Wolfoo cartoon in Vietnam and the trademark owner of Peppa Pig.
This time, the Wolfoo creator (SConnect) claimed eOne – which manages the rights to Peppa Pig – unfairly secured takedowns from YouTube. It also encouraged Vietnam’s government to support it in its fight.
In a letter sent to various government ministries on November 7, which was seen by Managing IP, SConnect said eOne had “absolutely no right to implement YouTube takedown measures”.
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