Europe section of MIP Handbook launched

The Americas section went live last week, with Asia due to follow on June 18.

The analysis for each country includes an introduction to the important trends in the past year, including new laws, big cases and filing levels. The most highly ranked firms then have their own analysis, covering their most important work and recommendations from clients.

The prospect of a unitary patent and high-tech litigation dominate discussion in Europe's larger economies. German lawyers speculate that US clients have discovered courts in Germany to be "comparably cheap and reliable", after they were brought to prominence by multiple cases between Apple and Samsung. Several mid-sized American companies are bringing cases in Germany for the first time as a result.

In France, patent lawyers also point to a trend among French judges to award punitive damages for the first time. Preliminary injunctions are becoming easier to obtain in trade mark and copyright cases as well, partly because, perhaps, the courts realise they have to be more competitive compared to their EU neighbours.

Meanwhile as the Euro 2012 football tournament kicks off in Poland, local lawyers discuss how Polish Customs has improved, and the volume of work relating to counterfeit football shirts. The courts, though still slow, seem to be becoming more efficient as well.

The MIP Handbook site can be found here.

The Asia editorial will be live on June 18.