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More than 1,000 new gTLDs are set to go live within the next few years, with many already launched. Trade mark owners need to reevaluate enforcement in this new internet ecosystem, argue Brian Winterfeldt and Griffin M Barnett

The Federal Circuit saying squashing words together in briefs is not a way to keep below word limits, Canada intending to increase the term of copyright, Katy Perry’s attempts to register trade marks, John Oliver’s take on patent trolls, and Twitter’s trade mark applications were in the IP headlines this week

China’s newest draft revision to the Patent Law brings a raft of changes, including provisions to encourage patent licensing as well as strengthen design patent protection

Christoph Rieken will join law firm Noerr on May 1. He was formerly head of the German IP practice at Ashurst

The Federal Circuit affirmed the USPTO’s rejection of an application for the The Slants mark on the grounds that the term was disparaging to Asians. After drafting the court’s opinion, Judge Kimberly Moore penned an “additional views” section questioning the constitutionality of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act

The so-called trilogue comprising the European Parliament, Commission and Council have agreed a deal on EU trade mark reform. But with details still sketchy, Managing IP analyses what is clear and what is still to be revealed

Finally, after five years of debate, there is an agreement on reform to the EU Trade Marks Directive and CTM Regulation. While there is a cautious welcome for what has been agreed, we are likely to enter a new period of adaptation and scrutiny

The Coalition for Affordable Drugs has filed another inter partes review petition at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, in the latest move by Kyle Bass and Erich Spangenberg to target pharmaceutical companies’ patents

Agent benchmarking can cut the cost of securing trade mark and patent protection around the world. Volker Spitz and John Asquith explain what it is, and how to do it

When faced with a claim of trade mark infringement, a defendant might avoid or minimise liability if it can establish the equitable defence of acquiescence. A defensive claim of acquiescence may be available where the trade mark owner has affirmatively represented to the defendant that the mark at issue may be used and the defendant relies on that representation to its prejudice. In general, an acquiescence defence requires that a defendant satisfy three elements, namely: (1) it received assurances from the plaintiff that the defendant could use the mark; (2) it relied on such assurances; and (3) it would experience undue prejudice if it now had to cease use of the mark.