Exclusive: EPO to meet in-house critics to discuss quality
The EPO has agreed to meet with a group of in-house counsel at major corporations to discuss concerns over the quality of patents granted by the office, Managing IP can confirm.
An EPO spokesperson said on Tuesday, January 10, that the office would meet with members of the Industry Patent Quality Charter (IPQC) to discuss specific examples of where quality did not meet their expectations.
Counsel at companies including Bayer, Siemens, Nokia, Ericsson, and Volvo set up the group last year and pledged to focus on quality over quantity in their own patent filings.
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UPC judge: ADR centre should favour mediation over arbitration
An alternative dispute resolution centre attached to the Unified Patent Court should focus on mediation over arbitration, a judge at the court suggested on January 10.
Sam Granata, who will be a judge at the UPC local division in Brussels, was speaking at an online event hosted by the Munich Intellectual Property Dispute Resolution Forum.
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Exclusive: EUTM filings drop by biggest margin in 20-years
EU trademark applications fell by the biggest margin in more than 20 years last year, according to EUIPO data shared with Managing IP.
Figures shared on January 10, showed there were 174,123 EUTM applications filed in 2022 – a 12% decrease from 2021, when there were 197,986.
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Other articles published by Managing IP this week include:
Counsel urge national courts to capitalise on CJEU Louboutin ruling
The three developments exciting US patent practitioners in 2023
China's IP brain drain: How exodus of foreign lawyers could shape industry
Counsel urge realism ahead of second gTLD round
Weekly take: Sorry, but let’s keep LinkedIn professional
ChatGPT to the metaverse: will 2023 see tech take off?
Weekly take: Sorry, but let’s keep LinkedIn professional
Elsewhere in IP
USPTO seeks comment
The USPTO is seeking comments on its 2022-2026 strategic plan, it said on Friday, January 6. The plan sets out five goals: to drive inclusive innovation; promote the efficient delivery of IP rights; promote the protection of IP; bring innovation to positive impact and generate impactful employee and customer experiences. Comments are open until January 31.
Streaming patent war
Israel-based media company BSD Crown has sued Amazon and its livestreaming offshoot Twitch, for patent infringement. The complaint, filed at the US District for the Northern District of California on January 5, asserts US patent 6,389,473, which covers a livestreaming standard known as HLS.
Licensing solution
Xiaomi announced on Tuesday, January 10, that it has ended long-standing patent disputes with IP Bridge, Orange, and Siemens. The company said via a news release that it resolved the disputes through an “innovative patent licensing transaction” that will allow it to license multiple technologies from the three companies.
PPH to stay
A Patent Prosecution Highway programme between the EPO and the National Institute for the Defence of Competition and Intellectual Property Protection of Peru has become permanent. The EPO announced the news on Monday, January 9. It follows a pilot programme launched in January 2020.
Rigged trademark
Former US president Donald Trump wanted to trademark the phrase ‘Rigged Election’ days after he lost the presidential election at the end of 2020, reports this week have claimed. The reports suggest that Trump’s son-in-law had inquired with legal advisers about the possibility of trademarking the phrase.
Horrible bosses
Lastly, bosses in the legal industry are among the most disliked in the UK, according to a report published on Tuesday, January 10. SEO services company Reboot found that 34% of respondents within the legal profession said they did not like their manager. The survey asked 3,445 people from 29 different sectors whether they liked their boss.
