Region: Netherlands

In recent proceedings Koninklijke Eru Kaasfabriek lost an opposition which it had filed against Goedcupje BV's application to register a trademark for the logo GOEDCUPJE. The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property held that the fact that both trademarks related to food was not enough because the foods in question were very different.

27 January 2016

US PIPCO Vringo announced late yesterday that its Vringo Infrastructure subsidiary had reached a litigation settlement and licence agreement with Chinese telecoms major ZTE, bringing to an end a sprawling, multi-jurisdictional and at times…

08 December 2015

Note that this blog has been updated following the receipt of further information relating to the transfer of patents as part of the deal under discussion. Philips’ proposed $3.3 billion sale of its Lumileds LED lighting business to a Chinese…

27 October 2015

Featured in IAM Yearbook 2016 – Building IP value in the 21st century

Introduction Every company that spends money and resources on research, development and marketing for its products needs assurance that competitors (or other third parties) cannot take advantage of its innovation. Profiting from innovation…

23 October 2015

It has been said that the logo of the European Patent Office resembles the ideal method for drafting a set of patent claims: the broadest, most well-rounded claim should be in the centre, surrounded by additional layers of protection in the form of dependent claims. This can result in nested subject matter within the scope of the broadest claim. The result could be a set of nested claims – or could it?

14 October 2015

The latest edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) was launched in London this week, offering a unique take on which global economies are ahead in ‘innovation-driven growth’. Put together by WIPO, INSEAD and Cornell University, the 400-page…

19 September 2015

As anyone whose family has been touched by the tragedy of suicide will tell you, it is a horrific experience to have to go though. Why, you constantly ask yourself. Shouldn’t we have noticed, could we have done more, was it something we did, were…

13 September 2015

The European Patent Convention hides a notorious concept known as ‘the inescapable trap’: if a granted claim involves added matter, there is no way to restore it except by shifting the scope of the patent – which in turn invalidates the patent. Recent European Patent Office practice suggests that there might be another way for patentees to shoot themselves in the foot: through ‘poisonous priority’.

02 September 2015

The General Court of the European Union recently confirmed that the trademarks SKY and SKYPE were confusingly similar. The decision is a setback for the popular Skype service, which allows users to call and chat over the Internet for free.

17 June 2015

Under Article 54(5) of the European Patent Convention (EPC) 2000, known substances or compositions are deemed to be novel if they are intended for specific use in a medical method and such use is not comprised in the state of the art (ie, second or…

17 June 2015