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The UK recently decided the question of who should pay for the implementation costs of blocking orders. Attorneys at Herbert Smith Freehills analyse how the framework, case law, liability and costs for such orders differ in the UK, Germany, Italy and France

The long-awaited Trademarks Act 2019 (2019 Act) finally came into force in December 2019. The enactment of the 2019 act effectively repeals its predecessor – the Trade Marks Act 1976 (1976 act). Among its various developments, a notable addition is the criminalisation of the act of counterfeiting trademarks. Part XV of the 2019 act deals with criminal offences, which were not dealt with under the 1976 act. Prior to the enactment of the Trademarks Act 2019, the criminal offences and enforcement provisions lay within the ambit of the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 (2011 act). The 2019 act has consolidated such provisions to comprehensively cover criminal offences, enforcement and penalties within the act.

The TRIPS Agreement, to which the Philippines is a signatory, enables governments of member countries with no capacity to manufacture medicines to import/export cheaper pharmaceutical products via a compulsory licence. These are medicines for which they would otherwise have paid a higher price because of existing patents.

On December 25 2019, the Supreme Court promulgated amendments of Several Provisions on Civil Evidence Rules (amendments). The amendments, which will come into effect on May 1 2020, have attracted lots of attention from IP practitioners. The rules are expected to improve the accuracy and standardisation of evidence production procedures and balance the burden of proof between litigants. Below are some highlights of the amendments.

Novel decision outlines ambitious step that China’s supreme court is taking to make it more efficient to enforce patent rights

Gowling WLG and Managing IP are holding a complimentary webinar that will explore intellectual property issues related to connected cars and autonomous vehicles. This will include discussion of the patentability of AI in automotive applications

Counsel at Brandit, a dating app and Hitachi discuss how data mining can aid IP enforcement, the pitfalls of storing too much data and filing strategies

A court in Taipei has overturned a decision by the local IP office to grant compulsory licences to a Taiwanese company for five patents owned by Philips

Generics and innovator pharma companies welcome December’s SPC decision from a UK court, saying it further clarifies an uncertain regulation, but believe it will introduce prosecution challenges

The Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department (HKIPD) made major reforms to the patent system in Hong Kong in December 2019, with the introduction of the original grant patent (OGP) system. The OGP system provides a direct filing route for an application for a standard patent (O) in Hong Kong and will be offered in parallel with the re-registration route. This reform is an important development that brings the Hong Kong patent system in line with other major patent offices. It is expected to better support innovation and technology development in Hong Kong.