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This month, Utynam rounds up some of the IP-related stories in the media during July and August, and takes a trip to see some patent attorneys perform

The Commercial Court of Jakarta has refused a trade mark cancellation lawsuit (number 15/Pdt/Sus-Merek/2015/ PN.Niaga.Jkt.Pst) filed by French designer Pierre Cardin against Alexander Satryo Wibowo.

Recently, the PRC Trademark Office (TMO) has refused to formally accept a number of oppositions on grounds that the initial arguments and evidence filed failed to satisfy new standing requirements under the recently revised Trademark Law. The non-acceptance of these oppositions (referred to below as rejections) has caused consternation among the filers and their agents, as the TMO failed to provide any prior notice of a change in policy with respect to the time for filing supporting evidence in this regard.

On July 21 2015, President Benigno S Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No 10667 known as the Philippine Competition Act which took effect on August 8. Its salient points are summarised here.

To meet demand for sustainable energy efficient processes for chemical and material production, Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) executed a master research agreement (MRA) with National University of Singapore (NUS) on July 7 2015. The MRA will enhance research and collaboration in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering and material science, and facilitate technical exchange between SABIC and NUS. Under the agreement, joint research efforts will focus on advanced chemical process development for energy efficiency, development of solutions for advanced sustainable materials and process equipment design. The aim of these efforts is to identify specific projects that will help develop solutions to meet the increased demand for lighter, cleaner and more efficient sustainable solutions as a result of heightened consumer awareness and the strain on natural resources brought on by rapid urbanisation.

As anticipated in previous articles, the new Civil and Commercial Argentine Code came into effect on August 1 2015, and consequently both the former Civil and Commercial codes were abrogated. Among the regulations that are of interest in our area, we can mention the following:

The opening of Myanmar’s economy presents many opportunities for international brands. Tran Manh Hung and Luc Tung Phong explain how companies can use franchising agreements to enter the market

The key legislation that governs intellectual property in Laos is Law No 01/NA of December 20 2011, on Intellectual Property, as amended. Under the IP Law, trade mark owners can bring an administrative action, through the Department of Intellectual Property Rights (DIPR), against a shop that sells counterfeit products. This is the most effective anti-counterfeiting measure in Laos.

In Solid 21 v Hublot of America, et al, the US District Court for the Central District of California issued a ruling holding that once a term has become generic, it is always generic and cannot be the subject of trade mark protection under any circumstances even if the purported owner can demonstrate secondary meaning in that term.

A warning letter is a tool normally first used by an IP owner to enforce its IP rights before a complaint is filed. However, some recent development in China probably would increase an IP owner's caution of sending out a warning letter.