Local Insights

Social media-fuelled demand for luxury counterfeits such as the ‘Takealot Tirkin’ is reshaping consumer culture across Africa and raising pressing questions for brands. Haadya Mosafeer of INLEX finds a potential answer in Mauritius’ response

Cwengile Cwele, with oversight from Chyreene Truluck of Spoor & Fisher South Africa, explains how the new process works and the implications for practitioners and rights holders

Pravir Palayathan of INLEX explains Mauritius’ customs-led system for protecting trademarks, regulating authorised importers and exporters, and swiftly seizing counterfeit goods

Min Son of Hanol IP & Law analyses a Supreme Court ruling clarifying that prosecution history in a parent application can later limit the scope of divisional patent claims

Decree 134 modernises Vietnam’s copyright and related rights framework in response to rapid digital transformation, explains Thuy Thi Ngoc Huynh of T&G Law Firm LLC (TGVN), the local associate of Tilleke & Gibbins

Khin Myo Myo Aye and Niko Myint Soe of Tilleke & Gibbins outline the key filing requirements and practical considerations for securing industrial design protection under Myanmar’s developing registration system

Jakob Pade Frederiksen of Inspicos provides a status update on the pending case in the lead-up to oral proceedings before the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal on May 8 2026

Igor Charles and Fatima Chirazi of INLEX report on the rejection of Decathlon’s design, unfair competition, and parasitism claims over snorkelling masks, confirming a narrow scope of protection where design freedom is constrained

A single process patent and a well-executed intellectual property strategy can hold the key to unlocking long-term commercial success, says Christian Meyer of Maiwald, in an article co-written with Footprint Technologies

The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office recently announced three new fast-track options for the examination of patent applications, which are already in effect. These new fast-tracks are available for: (i) applications covering “technologies already available in the [Brazilian] market”; (ii) applications filed by local startups; and (iii) applications for “technologies resulting from [Brazilian] public funding.”

What are the leading IP objectives and challenges that your corporation, or your industry, pursue and face in Brazil?

On July 1 2020, and as a result of the entry into force of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), the new Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property was published, abrogating the current Industrial Property Law. It will come into force on November 5 2020.

Luis Emilio Moncada of Becerril, Coca & Becerril explains why provisional measures are an increasingly valuable mechanism under Mexican intellectual property law as the country prepares to co-host the football World Cup

Fernanda Villalobos of Becerril, Coca & Becerril explains how Mexican trademark law now allows descriptive signs to acquire protection through market use and consumer recognition

Stephania Cardiel of Becerril, Coca & Becerril examines how recent reforms signal a regional move towards faster, more internationally aligned innovation systems

Raluca Vasilescu of Cabinet M Oproiu considers how patent applicants may need to adapt their approaches as a result of widespread political and economic uncertainty

Jean-Paul Wagner and Tiago Leal of Ipsilon Luxembourg explore recent judicial advancements and global trends shaping the future of AI innovation, and how to turn informed intellectual property strategies into engines of commercial success

Raluca Vasilescu of Cabinet M Oproiu finds that AI assistants are not very helpful for building and enforcing patent strategies – and explains why