1 November 2024
Bosnia on the Way to Becoming 40th EPO Member
EPO has invited Bosnia and Herzegovina to accede to the European Patent Convention.
Insights
IP News
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31 October 2024Lebanon IPO Suspends Deadlines
All deadlines have been suspended effective 23 September 2024 until operations return to normal.
31 October 2024New Version of 12th Edition of Nice Classification to Enter into Force
Terms have been added, modified, or deleted to reflect new trends and contemporary language use.
31 October 2024Uzbekistan Introduces Statutory Compensation Amounts for IPR Infringement
Right holders will be able to demand compensation from infringers, instead of damages.
31 October 2024EU Introduces Mandatory Electronic Filing for Customs Applications
Beginning 3 October 2024 all customs AFAs must be submitted and managed electronically.
31 October 2024Iraq to Adopt 11th Edition of Nice Classification
The Iraqi Trademark Office will begin using the 11th edition starting January 2025.
30 October 2024Saudi Arabia Adopts New Trade Name Law
The new law was published on 4 October 2024 and will take effect 180 days after publication.
30 October 2024Yemen Trademark Offices Adopt 12th Edition of Nice Classification, Update Procedures
The IPOs in Sana’a and Aden have both updated trademark procedures.
30 October 2024Qatar Joins Global Brand Database
Qatar recently made its database of 147,670 trademark records available to the Global Brand Database.
2 September 2024UPC Agreement Enters into Force in Romania
Romania became the 18th EU member state to ratify the Agreement.
29 August 2024Qatar Joins Madrid System
The Madrid Protocol entered into force in Qatar on 3 August 2024.
31 July 2024Turkmenistan Joins Eurasian Design System
The President of Turkmenistan signed the law on accession to the Protocol on 13 July 2024.
31 July 2024Qatar Reduces Patent and Design Fees
The Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry introduced significant service fee reductions across key sectors effective 11 July 2024.
31 July 2024Slovakia, Montenegro, Moldova Accede to Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement
Slovakia, Montenegro and Moldova deposited their instruments of accession on 9 July, 10 July and 11 July 2024, respectively.
31 July 2024UAE: Zero Amount Annuity Payments Are Invalid
The Ministry of Economy issued a notice informing IP right holders that zero amount payments were not valid.
31 July 2024Serbian Supreme Court Issues Important Decision on Fake Car Parts
This decision confirms the first ruling of its kind in Serbian practice related to counterfeit car parts.
27 June 2024Ukrainian IPO Appeal Board Resumes Operations
After not operating since 8 November 2022 due to the profound IPO reform in Ukraine, the Appeal Board resumed operations on 18 June 2024.
27 June 2024OAPI Launches e-Filing of Trademarks
The African Intellectual Property Organization launched its trademark e-filing system on 3 June 2024.
27 June 2024ARIPO and Chinese IPO Launch Joint Patent Prosecution Highway
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization and the Chinese Intellectual Property Office launched a joint Patent Prosecution Highway pilot program on 8 June 2024.
30 May 2024Saudi Arabia Amends Trademark Refusal Procedure
If their applications are refused, applicants can now only appeal the refusal decision within a 60-day period.
30 May 2024Iraqi IPO Adopts New Practices
The Iraqi IPO started implementing two new trademark practices in May 2024.
28 March 2024Georgia Amends Trademark Law
Trademark law amendments entered into force in Georgia on 8 March 2024, aiming to align Georgian legislation with that of the European Union.
29 February 2024Kazakhstan Introduces Expedited Examination of Trademark Applications
As of 23 February 2024, the examination of trademark applications in Kazakhstan can be carried out in an accelerated procedure.
29 February 2024Saudi Arabia Announces IP Exchange Platform, IP Prosecution Initiative
Saudi Arabia has recently announced the launch of a National Intellectual Property Rights Exchange Platform and an Intellectual Property Prosecution initiative.
29 February 2024Kazakh IPO Grants Patent to Adai Horse Breeders
The Kazakh Intellectual Property Office recently granted a patent for Kazakh horse breed ‘Adai’ to the Association of Adai Horse Breeders.
29 February 2024Ukrainian Wine Companies Fined for Unfair Competition
The Ukrainian Antimonopoly Committee has recently fined two Ukrainian wine companies for violating the local competition legislation by using misleading bottle labels.
29 February 2024Ukrainian Authorities Shut Down Large-Scale Production of Fake Food, Household Chemicals
Ukrainian authorities have recently uncovered and shut down various underground workshops used for large-scale production of counterfeit food and household chemicals.
31 January 2024Hungary Amends Design Act
Amendments to the Hungarian Design Act entered into force on 1 January 2024.
31 January 2024Libya Adopts New Trademark Regulation
On 17 January 2024, Resolution No. 26 of 2024 entered into force in Libya, implementing a new executive regulation regarding Law No. 23 of 2010 on Trademarks.
31 January 2024Georgia Becomes EPO Validation State
The validation agreement between Georgia and the European Patent Organization entered into force on 15 January 2024.
31 January 2024North Macedonia Stops Registering INNs as Trademarks
Trademark applications for signs containing INNs filed on and after 1 January 2024 will not be registered by the IPO.
31 January 2024SAIP Sets Conditions for Using ‘Saudi Arabia’ and Place Names as Trademarks
On 29 December 2023, SAIP issued decision No. 14/T/2023 setting the conditions for using the name of Saudi Arabia and the names of Saudi cities, regions, and public places as trademarks.
22 December 2023Fake Apparel, Footwear, Accessories Destroyed in Montenegro
On 18 December 2023, CWB Montenegro office representatives and local customs authorities witnessed the destruction of nearly 32,500 items found to infringe the Nike®, Zara®, Dsquared2®, USPA®, Under Armor® and Hermès® trademarks.
30 November 2023Kosovo Adopts New Copyright Law
The new Law on Copyright and Related Rights, which entered into force in Kosovo on 27 October 2023, incorporated various new provisions aligned with the EU legislative framework.
30 November 2023Moldova Amends Copyright Law
On 9 November 2023, amendments to the copyright and related rights law were adopted in Moldova, partially transposing European Directive 2012/28/EU on certain permitted uses of orphan works.