Local Insights

Duncan Maguire of Spoor & Fisher Jersey explains a recent ruling by the Court of Appeal of Tanzania confirming that such trademarks are unenforceable unless registered nationally with the trademarks office in Tanzania

Herman Blignaut of Spoor & Fisher South Africa addresses whether the act extends to intellectual property rights and reassures brand owners that constitutional protection remains intact

David Cochrane of Spoor & Fisher South Africa explains the key updates under the act, which strengthens breeder protections while supporting vulnerable farmers and aligning with international norms

Gillian Tan of That.Legal explains Singapore’s approach to goodwill in passing off and what two recent cases mean for pre-launch market entry

Khin Yadanar Htay and Khin Myo Myo Aye of Tilleke & Gibbins summarise Myanmar’s new Geographical Indication Rules, covering application procedures, local representation requirements, and GI logo authorisation for domestic and international applicants

Proactive measures are needed to counteract opportunistic bad-faith actors, say Diep Thi Bich Le and Hang Thi Thanh Phan of T&G Law Firm LLC (TGVN), the local associate of Tilleke & Gibbins

Jakob Pade Frederiksen of Inspicos highlights how a recent ruling relating to the applicable standard for inventive step assessment diverges from the EPO’s problem-solution approach

Spain’s Donut case shows how widespread linguistic use does not necessarily erode trademark rights. Diogo Antunes of Inventa examines how Spanish and Portuguese practice address lexicalisation, reputation, and the boundary between descriptiveness and genericide

Maria Kilimiris of Patrinos & Kilimiris explains how an interim ruling concerning the likelihood of confusion between Fenistil and Knistil highlights how pharmaceutical trademarks and product get-up are assessed under EU and national law

It is important not to forget that the Civil Code states that debtors respond to the fulfilment of their obligations with their assets, except for all those assets considered by law as inalienable or which cannot be seized.

In view of its very large territory, Brazil has always faced many challenges implementing a successful anti-counterfeiting programme. Lack of a uniform approach and the absence of a political will to tackle IP infringements on a large scale were some of the problems that held IP owners back in the past.

For a long time, the Mexican Industrial Property Law remained static. However, in the last years, the law has been amended, having an impact on the lifespan of design registrations. Furthermore, due to the recent international commitments of our country, a new law has been approved further modifying the patent maintenance system.

Anne-Raphaëlle Aubry of Bird & Bird explains how Section 1782 and Rule of Procedure 190 offer different pathways for cross-border evidence gathering in European patent disputes, highlighting timing, scope, and strategic considerations for litigants

Monica Sánchez of Becerril, Coca & Becerril explains how the Mexican intellectual property framework, including compulsory licences and the Bolar clause, works alongside emerging technologies to balance pharmaceutical innovation with public health access

Carlos Hernández León of Becerril, Coca & Becerril outlines how Mexico’s shift from NAFTA-based patent term extensions to the new SPC regime affects patent holders, particularly in pharmaceuticals, and the strategic steps to secure additional protection

Raluca Vasilescu of Cabinet M Oproiu concludes a series on the use of artificial intelligence in patent practice by analysing how AI assistants affect the skilled reader’s perspective and the drafting of patent applications

Raluca Vasilescu of Cabinet M Oproiu continues a series on AI’s potential use in patent practice by analysing drafting experiments focused on differentiating from the closest prior art

In this opening article of a series, Raluca Vasilescu of Cabinet M Oproiu explains her conclusions after experimenting with various AI assistants when responding to office actions in patent applications