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The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) announced last month that the fees for patent search and examination reports and for trade mark applications will be reduced effective April 1 2017.

In a first for Australia, our courts have ordered ISPs to block the websites of a number of torrenting sites. In Roadshow Films Pty Ltd v Telstra Corporation Ltd [2016] FCA 1503, Justice Nicholas ordered a collection of ISPs to block the websites of a number of well-known bittorrenting sites. The sites included in the blocking order are The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, TorrentHound, IsoHunt and SolarMovie.

In Opke Ireland Global Holdings Ltd v European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) the General Court (case T-88/16) upheld the Board of Appeal´s decision (case R 2387/2014-5) finding likelihood of confusion between pharmaceutical marks in class 5 according to Article 8 (1) (b) European Union Trade Mark Regulation 207/2009 (EUTMR), namely between the attacked EU mark application, word Alpharen, and the older national Lithuanian and Latvian trade marks, word Alpha D 3. In doing so, the Court had the opportunity to also deal with some procedural regulation rules not which are not commonly adjudicated on.

As explained in previous briefings, the new Civil and Commercial Code includes a series of rules referring, either directly or indirectly, to intellectual and industrial property matters which we have already reviewed in detail.

Turkey’s new IP Code introduces significant changes to trade mark law. Hande Hançar Çelik and Zeynep Seda Alhas of Gün + Partners highlight the most important ones

The UKIPO has adopted a number of procedures to provide applicants with a good idea of the chance of successful grant within the first few months from filing. This early certainty is helpful when utilising PPH and managing a global family of patents. The EPO is also well-known for its rigorous approach to the examination of patent applications, and as such a granted European patent is considered to be a valuable and high-quality asset. However, in the past this detailed level of search and examination has sometimes led to delays in the prosecution process, which have been frustrating for both applicants and third parties, and have resulted in a lack of legal certainty. Such delays can be particularly problematic in view of the trend for shortening product lifecycles.

A Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding of unpatentability for obviousness based on two prior-art references in Personal Web Technologies v Apple has been remanded because “the Board did not adequately support its findings”

Australian patent attorney Bradley Postma has written a career guide for young lawyers. Shaun Tan spoke to him about being fired, fickle partners and how to win promotion

Who is on the move in the Asia-Pacific region? Our latest update includes news from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore