The Official Gowling WLG IP Blog
UPC’s first decision concerning a second medical use patent
On 13 May 2025, the Düsseldorf Local Division (LD) of the UPC…
Read More… UPC’s first decision concerning a second medical use patent
Sole(ly) aesthetic? The Birkenstock Sandal goes to the Federal Court of Justice
In Germany, the Federal Court of Justice recently issued a…
Read More… Sole(ly) aesthetic? The Birkenstock Sandal goes to the Federal Court of Justice
Good news / BAD news – March 2025
Welcome to the eleventh edition of the “Good News /…
Spectre of multi-million-dollar counterfeiting hangs over Super Bowl Sunday
Behind the glitz, gloss and razzmatazz of this year’s record-breaking…
Read More… Spectre of multi-million-dollar counterfeiting hangs over Super Bowl Sunday
UPC Court of Appeal denies liability of Belkin’s managing directors as intermediaries for patent infringement – Partial suspensive effect of the appeal granted
On 13 September 2024, the Munich Local Division (LD) granted…
Black Friday needn’t be ‘Fraud Friday’ by adopting AI to stop crime networks
More than £9 billion is expected to be spent in…
Read More… Black Friday needn’t be ‘Fraud Friday’ by adopting AI to stop crime networks
Ensuring the emerging geography of AI doesn’t become a TRAIN-wreck
Right now, we’re at a tipping point. The Top-Ranked AI…
Read More… Ensuring the emerging geography of AI doesn’t become a TRAIN-wreck
Good news / BAD news – October 2024
Welcome to the tenth edition of the “Good News /…
UPC’s first injunction concerning a Standard Essential Patent
The Munich Local Division (LD) of the UPC issued the…
Read More… UPC’s first injunction concerning a Standard Essential Patent
Good news / BAD news – July 2024
Welcome to the ninth edition of the “Good News /…
CJEU decision on deceptivity of a trademark
For the past 10 years, Goyard and Fauré Le Page…
Milan goes live!
In another development emphasising the pan-European nature of the Unified…
The AI Act and IP
The AI Act was agreed today. Here are the key points for intellectual property.
Good news / BAD news – March 2024
Our BAD Team (that is, our Brands, Advertising and Designs Team), serves as trusted advisers to some of the most valuable brands in the world, and we wanted to share our recent experiences in the hope of helping brand owners navigate the ever-changing landscape.
Good news / BAD news – November 2023
Welcome to the seventh edition of the “Good News /…
Good news / BAD news – July 2023
Welcome to the sixth edition of the “Good News /…
The EU AI Act and IP
Matt Hervey, IP partner and Head of Artificial Intelligence Law, was interviewed by Inumidun Bayeroju of LexisNexis on the implications of the new draft of the EU Act for IP. They discussed the new obligations for generative AI, including the need to disclose the use of copyright works used in training.
London Tech Week 2023: Health tech and innovation
London Tech Week 2023 is in full force, and one…
Read More… London Tech Week 2023: Health tech and innovation
Good news / BAD news – May 2023
Welcome to the fifth edition of the “Good News /…
Under the influence: Aldi left in low spirits as gin bottles found to infringe M&S’s registered designs
The rivalry that comes to mind when these supermarkets appear…
Good news / BAD news – February 2023
Welcome to the fourth edition of the “Good News/BAD News”…
Copyright in the outputs of generative AI
A new Italian Supreme Court judgment on copyright in an image created using software is a good jumping off point for a discussion of copyright in images produced by “generative AI”.
AI and copyright in 2022
Matt Hervey looks back at the key developments in AI…
IP rights: New search tool launched by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
In an exciting development, the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property…
Read More… IP rights: New search tool launched by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Start date of EPO’s transitional measures for obtaining Unitary Patents announced
The EPO has recently announced that its two new transitional…
Read More… Start date of EPO’s transitional measures for obtaining Unitary Patents announced
What to do when you receive spam emails like “your brand has been registered!”?
How many times have you received unsolicited yet “urgent” emails…
Read More… What to do when you receive spam emails like “your brand has been registered!”?
What are the legal grounds for domain name disputes in China?
Domain name piracy is as common as trademark squatting in China. The key to striking down domain name piracy is to determine that the domain name is registered in bad faith which either infringes a prior right or constitutes unfair competition behavior.
Read More… What are the legal grounds for domain name disputes in China?
Just how far can the UPC reach?
The judges have been appointed (Unified Patent Court judicial appointments…
How to translate your trademark into Chinese?
Given the importance of Chinese character trademarks for the Chinese…
Can patent terms be extended in China?
China has introduced both PTE (Patent term extension) and PTA (Patent…
Middle East–based patent filers – the Unified Patent Court will open doors early 2023, are you prepared?
We recently communicated to you news of the Unitary Patent…
Good News / BAD News – September 2022
Welcome to the third edition of the “Good News /…
AI patentability and sufficiency: new UK guidance
The UKIPO has today published guidance on patenting artificial intelligence…
Read More… AI patentability and sufficiency: new UK guidance
UK trade secrets: Four years on
This blog considers how the UK law of confidence has changed since 2018, including what “reasonable steps” are necessary to protect a trade secret.
Intellectual Property Enterprise Court increases cost caps in October 2022
The Civil Procedure Rules Committee has announced the costs caps…
Read More… Intellectual Property Enterprise Court increases cost caps in October 2022
UPC Rules of Procedure approved – 19th time’s a charm
The Administrative Committee has formally approved a version of the…
Read More… UPC Rules of Procedure approved – 19th time’s a charm
Good news / BAD news – June 2022
Welcome to the second edition of the “Good News /…
The Court finds a Match: Match v Muzmatch
The Match Group has won its case for trademark infringement…
Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence in Singapore
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) supports AI through a series of targeted measures. This is in line with Singapore’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy.
Read More… Intellectual Property and Artificial Intelligence in Singapore
The UK’s National AI Strategy: governance, regulation and law
The UK’s ten-year National AI Strategy includes governance and regulation as one of three “pillars”. the Government’s consultations on privacy and IP and its proposed White Paper on the choice between sector-specific and “cross-cutting” regulation are important places to start. With the EU “AI Act” progressing fast, the UK would ideally move faster setting out its vision for AI law and regulation.
Read More… The UK’s National AI Strategy: governance, regulation and law
Good news / BAD news
Welcome to the first edition of the “Good News /…
Best practice for patenting AI
The US Intellectual Property Owners Association has published extremely valuable new guidance on best practice for patenting AI
Singapore: Examination of Companion Trademark Applications
Given the volume of trademark applications filed with the Intellectual…
Read More… Singapore: Examination of Companion Trademark Applications
M&S sues Aldi for IP infringement – again
Marks & Spencer and Aldi are once again going into…
Copyright vs. “fake news” – Deletion of user contributions from a copyright point of view
Social media platforms have long been very tolerant when it…
Read More… Copyright vs. “fake news” – Deletion of user contributions from a copyright point of view
The new Copyright Service Provider Act in Germany
Many online platforms would not exist without user generated content…
Read More… The new Copyright Service Provider Act in Germany
Ethical implications posed by the Metaverse
This article discusses the ethical implications of the metaverse. For…
JUVE’s survey respondents favour German and French Judges for the UPC bench and Paris to replace the third central division previously held by London
We previously reported that JUVE were conducting a survey on…
Opt Out your European Patents? – Pros and cons (“you put your whole self in, your whole self out….”)
Momentum is gathering towards the UPC becoming operational. So it…
Practicable tips for trade secret protection during litigation in Germany
The Trade Secret Act (GeschGehG) covers information that has a…
Read More… Practicable tips for trade secret protection during litigation in Germany
AI and IP – what is your strategy?
A UKIPO round table suggests that companies need to change their IP strategies for AI and the law may need to change too.
Who controls your opt-out?
The impact of the UPC on existing and future commercial…
AI Assurance
“AI assurance” describes methods to assess and potentially certify AI…
Protective over purple: Can you trade mark a colour?
Brand protection is a curious business at times. Never more…
Read More… Protective over purple: Can you trade mark a colour?
Will the US drive greater IP protection for AI?
The US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has concluded that IP policy for AI is a US “national security priority” and has called for a review of patent eligibility for AI-related inventions and IP protection for data. An upcoming “Global Emerging Technology Summit” on 13 July may drive the agenda forward.
UKIPO patent guidance updated for DABUS judgment
The UK Intellectual Property Office’s Manual of Patent Practice has been updated to reflect the the UK High Court’s decision concerning the “DABUS” inventions. The Court held that patent protection requires a human inventor and that an AI could not own or transfer rights to a patent.
EU report on AI-assisted creativity and invention
The European Commission has published its final report on Trends…
Read More… EU report on AI-assisted creativity and invention
Legal training contracts: A trainee’s perspective
When it comes to a career in law, there are…
Read More… Legal training contracts: A trainee’s perspective
Defining artificial intelligence
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held its second “conversation”…
WIPO’s revised paper on IP policy and AI
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has revised its draft…
Could standards for Artificial General Intelligence save humanity?
For those interested in some lockdown listening on Artificial Intelligence…
Read More… Could standards for Artificial General Intelligence save humanity?
Artificial intelligence in healthcare: NHSX AI Lab publishes a buyer’s checklist
The NHSX AI Lab has published A Buyer’s Checklist for AI in Health and Care (the…
Read More… Artificial intelligence in healthcare: NHSX AI Lab publishes a buyer’s checklist
The UKIPO launches AI-powered assessments of trademark applications
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) is testing an AI-driven…
Read More… The UKIPO launches AI-powered assessments of trademark applications
The UKIPO investigates AI-powered prior art searches
Like many Patent Offices around the world, the UK Intellectual…
Read More… The UKIPO investigates AI-powered prior art searches
USPTO denies patent application for invention by AI
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the…
Read More… USPTO denies patent application for invention by AI