Welcome. Find out news about our office, about amendments in law and interesting news in the fields of patents, trademarks and designs.
The recently imposed U.S. tariffs on European products may require European companies to revise their international intellectual property (IP) strategy. There may be an increased need for local IP protection in the United States, for the following reasons:
The World Organization for intellectual Property (WIPO/OMPI) has recently published an updated summary of international patent applications (so-called PCT applications) filed in the past year. In 2024, a total of 273,900 PCT applications were recorded – a slight increase of 0.5% compared to the previous year.
Substantial Increase with new fees at USPTO The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced that its fees will increase effective January 19, 2025. The official total costs for filing, search, examination, and issuance of design patents will increase by approximately 48%. For each independent patent claim over three, a fee of $600 […]
Costa Rica Joins the European Patent System A significant milestone in the international protection of intellectual property: Costa Rica has joined the European Patent Convention (EPC). The accession will take effect on January 1, 2025. From this date, it will be possible to validate granted European patents in Costa Rica. The validation process follows a […]
Uzbekistan Joins the Hague System: New Opportunities for Design Protection As from 17th February 2025, Uzbekistan will become a member of the Hague System for the International Registration of Industrial Designs, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). This system allows businesses to protect their designs in multiple countries through a single application, significantly reducing […]
Award from Financial Times: Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms 2024 We are delighted to have been honoured by Financial Times with a top-ranking as one of “Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firm 2024”. The article has been published on 13th June 2024. On this occasion, we would like to thank our clients and colleagues for their high […]
New fees at the European Patent Office from 1 April 2024 The European Patent Office has announced that a number of fee changes will enter into force on 1 April 2024. Some of the official fees will be increased significantly. For example, the 3rd renewal fee will rise from EUR 530 to EUR 690, which […]
Unauthorized trademark use on a model toy? (Trademark law and German Unfair Competition Act) May a manufacturer of toy models use a third party’s trademark on a replica truck without authorization? The BGH (German Federal Court of Justice) recently had to decide the following case: As can be seen below, a model-making company had sold […]
On a regular base the patent offices publish at the end of Q1 in each year a review on all the patent applications filed during the previous year. Just recently the European Patent Office has issued an overview of the European patent applications filed in 2021.
On 4 April 2022, the government of the republic of Chile deposited with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) its act of accession to the Protocol of the Madrid Agreement concerning the International Registration of Marks (the "Madrid Protocol").
On 31 January 2022, Iraq has declared its accession to the PCT Agreement. Its membership will enter into force on 30 April 2022. 20 years after the end of the Iraq war, this marks a further normalization of the country. With its accession, Iraq becomes the 155th contracting state to the PCT (Patent Co-operation Treaty).
Up to now, for the protection of registered designs in China, it was necessary to file a national Chinese design application. The Chinese government has now declared on the occasion of the opening of the Olympic winter games, Beijing 2022 to join the international Design agreement, the Hague System.
The United Arab Emirates’ accession further strengthen the Madrid System’s status as a key component of protecting marks globally, offering a convenient and cost-effective solution for brand owners
September 30th, 2021 is the deadline to file UK national trademark applications claiming the earlier filing date of a European Union trademark application.
The government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has decided to join the Madrid System of Trademarks. The Madrid System will enter into force for Pakistan on May 24, 2021.