Local Insights

Duncan Maguire and Paul Ramara of Spoor & Fisher explain how Tanzania’s recently introduced trademark recordation system now accepts ARIPO and foreign registrations, while national filings remain the strongest enforcement tool

New patent and utility model procedures and updated fees form part of a legislative update to the Bangui Agreement that became effective in the new year, explains Craig Kahn of Spoor & Fisher Jersey

James Davies and Vishen Pillay at Adams & Adams discuss IP protection strategies and ownership considerations for AI

Wongrat Ratanaprayul of Tilleke & Gibbins highlights the complex processes required to secure AI patents across Southeast Asia

Chiu-ling Lin of Saint Island International Patent & Law Offices compares third-party observations in Taiwan and mainland China

Kate Giddens of AJ Park explains why it would be prudent to be aware of all factors that may affect the registration of your mark in New Zealand and considers the important role of the Māori Trade Mark Advisory Committee

Alexander Ortlieb, Moritz Kampmann, and Stephan Maidl of Maiwald highlight six EPO appeal decisions that map the absolute floor of what patent applications for AI inventions must disclose – and how spectacularly some applicants miss that mark

Vítor Palmela Fidalgo of Inventa reviews three years of Unified Patent Court jurisprudence, examining emerging approaches to claim interpretation, prosecution history, doctrine of equivalents, and prior use

The singer is among an increasing number of celebrities using trademark law to counter AI-generated impersonation. Ann Henry, Sarah McMullen, and Isabel Humburg of Bird & Bird (Ireland) examine evolving challenges for brand owners

Eduardo Hallak, Juliana Neves, and Sarah Lucas of Licks Attorneys examine Brazil's growing debate over patent term adjustment and the legislative proposals seeking to address examination delays

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

Roberta Arantes of Daniel Law looks at how the Brazilian legal landscape has responded to shifts in the concept of branding and its related levels of protection

In In re Odd Sox LLC, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) issued a precedential ruling, holding that the term "generic name" as used in the Trademark Act encompasses product packaging, and that the generic inquiry is applicable to assessments of source identification capabilities of product packaging.

In Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc. v Goldsmith et al. No. 17-CV-2532, 2019 (S.D.N.Y. July 1 2019), the US District Court for the Southern District of New York addressed the question of whether Andy Warhol's (Warhol) use of a photograph of Prince Rogers Nelson, best known as Prince, constituted violations of the Copyright Act. Granting the Andy Warhol Foundation's (AWF) motion for summary judgment, the court found that although the at-issue photograph was protected by copyright, AWF had a viable fair use defence.

The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (the IMPI) denied applications for the mark "Pinche Gringo BBQ" and design to Daniel Andrew Defossey and Roberto Luna Aceves, on the grounds of Article 4 of the Industrial Property Law (LPI). It stated that the mark was contrary to public order, morality and good customs. The term "Pinche" is a pejorative word and "Gringo" refers to a person born in the United States, especially one who is English-speaking. However, interestingly, the real meaning of "Pinche" is a person who provides services in the kitchen or an assistant cook.

Raluca Vasilescu of Cabinet M Oproiu considers how AI and pricing pressures could affect patent attorneys’ work in the near future

Nick Aries of Bird & Bird LLP examines how agentic AI could reshape brand discovery, trademark enforcement, and comparative advertising, and outlines key risks for brand owners

Tariq Shajahan and Willem Niesing of NLO analyse dredging-related patent filings in key jurisdictions and highlight contrasting Western and Asian approaches to innovation, from component-level engineering to system-wide methodologies and AI-driven optimisation