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Update to trade mark practice guidelines
IPONZ has updated its guidelines about trade mark specifications.
Nauru leaders meet top US officials in White House to build stronger economic ties
A Nauruan Government delegation held high level talks at the White House with top US government officials last week, as part of the government's aim to build stronger economic ties with the global superpower.
BPTO Public Consultation on Draft Guidelines for New Uses of Known Products
The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BPTO) published a draft amendment to the guidelines for patent applications involving new uses of known products. The consultation runs until September 26, 2025, with significant potential impact, especially on biotec/pharmaceutical applications.
Namibia now leads Africa Group in negotiations for formulating norms for copyright limitations and exceptions
The Namibian Ambassador to Switzerland, Julia Imene-Chanduru, addressed the 66th series of annual meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), calling for the adoption of an international legal instrument on limitations and exceptions to copyright for libraries, research, museums, educational institutions and archives.
Uganda ratifies the Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge
The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has issued a notification that the Government of the Republic of Uganda has deposited its instrument of ratification of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (GRATK). The GRATK Treaty was adopted in Geneva on 24 May 2024. It establishes a mandatory patent disclosure requirement in terms of which patent applicants are required to disclose the country of origin of the genetic resources and/or the indigenous peoples or local community providing the associated traditional knowledge in the case of a claimed invention being based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge.
Zanzibar IP Office announces increased fees
The Zanzibar Industrial Property Office (ZIPO) has officially announced increased fees affecting various intellectual property matters, including trade marks and patents. These revisions were published under the Zanzibar Business and Property Registration Agency (Fees and Charges) Regulations, per Government Gazette Vol. CXXXIV No. 7369 dated 18 July 2025.
Intellectual Property Protection of Cartoon Characters: A Collision of History and the Future
In the vibrant world of animation, every unique cartoon character is a labor of love for its creators, embodying laughter and dreams for countless fans. These characters are not merely images; they are an integral part of intellectual property (IP). This article will explore how cartoon characters are protected under intellectual property laws, review some classic characters from history, introduce influential new characters from the past couple of years, analyze how these characters are safeguarded through trademarks and copyrights, and discuss measures and legal grounds for combating malicious copying.
WeChat’s Trademark Portfolio Analysis
Using statistical data from Kangxin IP Platform (eservice.kangxin.com), we analyze WeChat’s trademark application trends in China, the US, Japan, South Korea, and the EU.
Pinterest’s Trademark Puzzle: Global Strategy and Intellectual Property Game
Pinterest was founded in March 2010 in San Francisco, USA, by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, and Evan Sharp, initially launching as a platform for sharing visual inspiration. With its unique “puzzle-like” content model, Pinterest quickly gained traction worldwide. As of March 2025, its total registered users are projected to exceed 500 million, with monthly active users stabilizing at around 480 million (based on a growth trend from 463 million in April 2023)
New Zealand Trademark Renewal Guide
Trademark Renewal Guide
Must-Read for Trademark Applications: The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding 3 Major Pitfalls in Specimen Amendments!
In trademark registration applications, a clear and standardized trademark specimen is one of the key elements for obtaining acceptance. However, in practice, it is quite common to receive a *Trademark Registration Application Rectification Notice* due to specimens failing to meet the required standards. Rectifying a trademark specimen not only consumes the applicant’s time and effort, but may also result in the application being rejected if the rectification is not submitted within the prescribed period. This can render the trademark application invalid and cause the applicant to lose the advantage of an early filing date. This article systematically summarizes the main types of trademark specimen rectifications and provides targeted solutions to help applicants efficiently pass the trademark formality examination.
Australian divisional patent “best method” requirement revisited
Australia is one of the few major jurisdictions to retain a “best method” requirement for patent specifications, which necessitates that applicants disclose the best method known to them of performing the invention (Knowledge Element).[i] In a controversial decision, the Federal Court found in 2018 that, in the case of divisional applications, the Knowledge Element is to be assessed at the time of filing the divisional application. Last week, the Federal Court issued a contrary decision, finding the Knowledge Element for divisional applications is to be assessed at the effective filing date derived from the ultimate parent application.
[International Design Applications] A list of international registration numbers and application numbers for international design registration applications
An international application for a design based on the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement, which came into effect on May 13, 2015, will be deemed to be an application for design registration filed in Japan on the date of international registration (hereinafter referred to as an "international design registration application") once an international registration designating Japan has been internationally published by the International Bureau of WIPO (Article 60-6 of the Design Act).
Form and substance: the developmental promises of geographical indications in Africa
Geographical indications (GIs) are considered as a viable instrument for sustainable development. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Intellectual Property Rights marks a turning point in the pursuit of IP harmonization for African countries to facilitate and deepen intra-African trade. In Article 9 (1) it obliges parties to provide GI protection through sui generis systems and the option of additional legal means of protection through certification marks, collective marks or unfair competition laws.
From safe harbours to AI harbours: reimagining DMCA immunity for the generative AI era
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) overturns the passive-intermediary assumptions that underlie the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) safe harbour. Modern systems ingest vast, often unlicensed datasets and emit on-the-fly outputs through a supply chain that spans data suppliers, model developers and deployers—raising parallel concerns in the EU, UK, Hong Kong and other jurisdictions.
Say goodbye to my little FRAND1: is the withdrawal of the European Commission’s Regulation on standard essential patents a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet?
The European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on the licensing and enforcement of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) aimed to revolutionize the global SEP licensing and enforcement landscape through a variety of interventionist measures. The proposal was widely welcomed in some quarters but roundly criticized in others, and it was ultimately withdrawn.
The UPC Court of Appeal finds no temporal restrictions on its jurisdiction in XSYS v Esko
Back in early June, the UPC Court of Appeal handed down its decision in a dispute between XSYS and ESKO (UPC_CoA_156/2025) as to whether the UPC has jurisdiction to rule on alleged infringing acts that occurred prior to the date the UPC agreement (UPCA) came into force (1 June 2023), and before an opt out was withdrawn. The UPCKats (Rebecca Daramola, Christina Guazzi and Isobel Barry, all of Carpmaels) return to report on another decision in which the UPC confirms its broad jurisdictional scope, driven by the goal of avoiding a fragmented European patent system.
The reproducibility challenge for advanced therapies (T 0827/23)
Reproducibility is an inherent challenge in advanced therapies. Therapeutic extracellular vesicles (EVs), the subject of the recent Board of Appeal case in T 0827/23, are particularly heterogeneous and hard to define products. Aside from the manufacturing and regulatory issues, the inherent heterogeneity of these products also presents a challenge for patentability in Europe. In the biotech field, the EPO will often require data demonstrating the superiority of the invention over the prior art. Patentees must therefore not only demonstrate that their invention works, but also that their invention works better than the prior art technologies. However, the prior art may be even more difficult to reproduce, test and define than the invention itself.
You snooze, you lose: CJEU upholds cancellation of plant variety rights for failure to pay fees on time
Most of us are guilty of ignoring notifications from time to time. But yesterday's judgment from the CJEU confirms that holders of plant variety rights (PVRs) who ignore reminders to pay their annual fees will need very good excuses - with good evidence - to avoid losing their rights forever. This was a lesson learned the hard way for the holders of the now-cancelled PVR for the 'Melrose' potato in Case C‑426/24 P, Romagnoli Fratelli SpA v Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO).
European Parliament -Think Tank: Technological Aspects of Generative AI in the Context of Copyright
The European Parliament has just published a study commissioned by its Policy Department for Justice, Civil Liberties and Institutional Affairs which analyses the topic of ‘Technological Aspects of Generative AI in the Context of Copyright’.
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{{enterWhos.enText}} Trademark Registration
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Principle of trademark protection:Principle of trademark protection;
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Classification system of goods and services:Nice Classification; multi-class application is available;
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Requirements for trademark use:The applicant shall provide evidence showing use of the trademark on the designated goods/services. Evidence of use for goods includes but not limited to: product photos printed with trademarks, product packaging, product labels, exhibition pictures, brochures, sales contracts and other purchase documents and information; but advertisements or media reports cannot be used as evidence of effective use. Evidence for services includes but not limited to: the brochures printed with trademarks, web page introductions, contracts for provision of services and other documents.
It is important to preserve the evidence when use a trademark in United States; otherwise the trademark will be partially or totally invalidated over the designated goods and services for not submitting sufficient mark use evidence during the stage of submitting the statement of use. -
An application for trademark registration shall be filed before the U.S. Intellectual Property Office (USTPO), and there must be a basis for filing application in the United States. There are mainly three types:(1)"Intended Use": This basis applies to cases where the trademark has not been used in the United States at the time of filing the application for registration. Based on "intention to use" to file an application for trademark registration, the application can be submitted directly without providing evidence of trademark use. However, when the official passes the trademark examination, an official notice will be issued requesting the applicant to submit evidence of use and the time of first use in the world and the United States in order to obtain a trademark registration certificate. If the trademark has not been used before it is approved for registration, the applicant may postpone the submission of the statement of use for a period of 6 months at a time, for a total of 5 times. If the use evidence cannot be provided in the end, the trademark will be invalid.
(2)"Actual Use": This basis is applicable to the case where the trademark was already used in the United States when the application for registration was submitted. When filing an application for trademark registration on the basis of "already used", evidence of the use of the trademark in the United States and the earliest date of use shall be provided.
(3)"Registration in Other Countries": This basis is used when an application for registration of the same trademark has been submitted in the origin country and the applicant cannot provide mark use evidence in the United States for a short period of time. Application information (including designated goods/services) in the US application should be consistent with those in the application of origin country, and a copy of registration certificate in the origin country should be provided.
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