EPO IP Information EPO Information Chief Advisor : Takamasa ARAI OHIM Information Chief Advisor : Yosuke TANAKA TEL FAX E-mail : + 81 - 6 - 6351 - 4384 : + 81 - 6 - 6351 - 5664 :

EPO IP Information

• The European Commission probes IBM for alleged anti-competitive practices
• An international environmental forum for intellectual property rights was held in Beijing.
• Establishment of Website concerning European Community Trade Mark (CTM) and European Registered Community Design (RCD) in Japanese language.
• Export of counterfeits made in China to Europe grew to US$ 8.2 billion (JPY 750 billion).
• India, Brazil challenge EU at WTO over Generic Medicines
• German Supreme Court ruled that thumbnails do not infringe any copyrights
• European Community design application can claim priority of PCT application
• Google Wins AdWords Trademark Infringement Litigation Case
• Taiwan Considers Countermeasures for Hefty Blu-ray Concession Money
• Greek company loses case over MPEG2
• Sisvel’s LTE/SAE patent pool exceeds 20 companies
• Europe perceives competitive design as critically important
• UNITAID executive board OKs breakthrough plan to make AIDS drugs cheaper, more widely accessible
• (Portugal) Trademark registration fee payment system abolished
• EU to establish unified patent and patent court
• Pfizer to start generic-drug business in Japan
• European Commission drops Qualcomm antitrust investigation
• Pioneer brings car navigation patent case against Garmin
• The “X-ray”: most important scientific invention
• Britain also pushes forward with measure to deny Internet access to illegal downloaders
• France enacts “Three Strikes Law”, denying Internet access to illegal downloaders
• France adopts advanced anti-piracy law
• Nokia takes Apple to court for patent infringement
• Fake goods imports to the EU doubles in 2008, reaching 178 million
• Delphi Genetics grants use of drug-manufacturing technology to Sanofi-Aventis
• Forced Internet cutoff for illegal download ruled unconstitutional
• Trouble for Apple in China – iPhone trademark already registered by another company
• US President approves an ITC’s ruling banning Vizio’s TVs from import and sale
• Honda to reconsider its royalty agreements with foreign subsidiaries; raise in royalties expected in 2010
• US court rules that Epistar is infringing on Philips Lumileds’ LED patent
• Pirated software in China on the decrease in 2008 but still at 47%
• Apple to start offering online music in the EU… provided copyright issues are solved
• Europe : design disclosure in China makes protection as Unregistered Community Design impossible
• Madrid Protocol: sending of the Decision to Grant a Registration to become automatic
• Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and Association of the German Automotive Industry join forces against patent trolls
• Google settles visual voicemail patent lawsuit
• Patent Reform Act of 2009 introduced in US Parliament
• China and the European Union hold a joint forum on intellectual property in Brussels
• Japan, the U.S., Germany, the U.K., and six other companies sharing examination information, establishing “Universal Patents”.
• Microsoft expands “Exchange ActiveSync”, promoting interoperability.
• EU Court rejects Lego’s trademark.

LINK

(1) EPO updates webpage for decisions, and discloses information on the latest decision. For more information, please access EPO BOA Webpage: http://www.epo.org/patents/appeals/new.html.


(2)The Official Journal 5/2008 is published. For more information, please access EPO BOA Webpage: http://www.epo.org/patents/law/legal-texts/journal/2008/05.html.


(3)The article on computer-related invention is published. For more information, please access: http://www.aippi.org/enews/2008/edition01/computer_implemented_inventions_japan.html.


(4)Triway Pilot Program
AIPLA announced on July 14, 2008 that the USPTO, EPO, and JPO agreed on the triway pilot program in which the worksharing between the three PTOs. The USPTO will launch July 28th for one year period so as to reduce the overlapping of the searching operations among the three PTOs, to improve the examination services, and to complement the exsisting Patent Prosecution Highway Program. Plant patent applications, design patent applications, re-issue patent applications, and provisional applications will be excluded from this program.

Triway Pilot Program will be applied to maximum 100 patent applications which are first filed in US and are then filed in JP and EP. The USPTO intends 10-15 cases for each technical field so that the program is not applied to specific technical fields. Please access in detail http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/preognotice/triway_pilot_07152008.pdf.