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Solomon Linda from Zululand composed an ethnic song called Mbube (meaning lion). Gallo Records released a record of it. Gallo took assignment of the worldwide copyright for a pittance. In the 1950s the record made its way to the USA. A famous folk-singer reworked the song and made it into a hit song called Wimoweh. A decade later Mbube was further reworked into mega hit-song called The Lion Sleeps Tonight ("LST"). In the 1990s LST was incorporated into Walt Disney's stage show and movie The Lion King. In particular, Mbube's incarnation as LST, made countless millions of US dollars. Solomon Linda and, after his death in 1962, his heirs, saw none of this money and existed in penury.

Both parties are owners of registered EU trademarks consisting of the letters MK in different designs, with the additional wording "illumination". The plaintiff, an Austrian company has a business concerned with decorative illuminations in Austria and abroad. The defendant, a Czech company, is selling, lending, delivering and installing decorative illuminations and illuminated commercial signs. The defendant's EU registration is younger than that of the plaintiff.

The Madrid system will enter into force in Brazil on October 2 2019, three months after the delivery of the instrument of accession of Brazil to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In the wake of the adherence to the international system, the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) released four resolutions that not only address ratification, but also touch new and uncharted areas for international companies with trademarks in Brazil, including adopting necessary international norms for the local trademark regime, like multiclass filings, co-ownership, and divisional applications and registrations adding flexibility to the local system.

Precision medicine, also known as personalised medicine, is an emerging field in healthcare and seems to have a promising future as it accounts for 42% of new molecular entities which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in 2018. Since precision medicine aims to provide bespoke medical treatments based on individual patient's characteristics, it essentially incorporates diagnosis and treatment methods. Under Korean patent law and practice, treatment and diagnosis methods are not considered patent eligible subject matter. As such, it is necessary to circumvent restrictive eligibility requirements to obtain protection for precision medicines in Korea. In the past, although precision medicines can be pursued as a pharmaceutical/diagnostic composition claim, it was not easy to claim methodological aspects of precision medicines (e.g. dosage regimen) which were not considered as technical features constituting composition itself (Supreme Court decisions 2007Hu2926 and 2007Hu2933, rendered on May 28 2009).

The reform of August 10 2018 to the Mexican Industrial Property Law substantially changed the Mexican trademark landscape. Among the most relevant changes brought by this legislative reform, particularly the acceptance on behalf of the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) of non-conventional trademark applications – such as smell and sound trademarks – positions Mexico today at the forefront of innovation.

In In re TracFone Wireless, Inc., the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) issued yet another decision finding that a particular designation fails to function as a mark – the subject of over 21% of precedential rulings this year. These decisions highlight the importance of brand owners, marketing teams, advertising departments and legal counsel coordinating effectively.

Foreign applications for trademarks and designs are on the up, according to the UKIPO’s annual report, which also shows a decline in patent applications and a focus on workplace wellbeing

Nigel Swycher, CEO of patent analysis software company Cipher, looks ahead to the IP Corporate Strategy Summit 2019

Some of Canada’s changes to its patent law will have a big impact on companies’ strategies, according to lawyers, but it’s “business as usual” for now

Mr Justice Henry Carr, an IP judge at the England & Wales High Court who was “utterly devoid of pomposity,” has sadly passed away