Never Too Late: if you missed the IPKat last week

Looking at what happened in the IP world the last week, it is safe to say that it is not also in lockdown. See here for enjoyment...

This African Kat in lockdown

PATENTS

China was, for the first time ever, the top filer of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2019! Tian Lu reported on WIPO’s announcement, including additional PCT highlights.

TRADE MARKS

Spot the difference between CORNEREYE and BACKEYE? In T-688/18, the court considered whether a likelihood of confusion could be found between the mark applied for, CORNEREYE, and earlier trade mark, BACKEYE. Riana Harvey looked at this case.

In times of coronavirus lockdown, farmers who make their products under the Protected Designation of Origin / Protected Geographical Indication (PDO/PGI) quality schemes are facing the threat of not complying with the strict requirements imposed by such PDOs/PGIs. Anastasiia Kyrylenko reported on France and Italy who are amending their product specifications of affected PDOs/PGIs to cope with the lockdown.

Is a simple red stripe registerable as a trade mark? Perhaps if you want to register the mark in Ukraine and you are the former president. In a guest post, Roman Kostyrko takes us on a tour through this sweet case.

COPYRIGHT

Last month, the Nigerian Federal High Court directed the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AG) to take the necessary steps to cancel/rescind a change of name. Chijioke Okorie looked at what the impact of this decision of the Federal High Court on copyright collective management in Nigeria is.

BOOK REVIEW

In recent decades, progress has been made toward the protection of indigenous and traditional knowledge, spurred by the efforts of indigenous groups and developing nations. Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources, Customary Law and Intellectual Property by Paul Kuruk, provides a global survey of the various measures in place to protect traditional knowledge, identifying these gaps in protection. Thomas Key provided a glimpse into this must-read.

Noticed the interplay between art and law in the last twenty years? Martin Wilson has. In his book, Art law and the business of art, he takes us on a journey in the fascinating world of art and auctions with a special focus on the interplay between art and law.  Former Guest Kat, Antonella Gentile, provided a teaser of this book.

OTHER IP TOPICS: UNIFIED RULES OF PROCEDURE

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has, for the first time in twenty years, agreed on a single comprehensive set of rules to be applied to all proceedings before the EUIPO Boards of Appeal. Nedim Malovic informed us of what these new rules entail and what their effect will be.