Law and Innovation

Robots will one day live among us. That’s not a secret anymore. Just like couples, when people live or work together, a legal framework is required or at least, highly recommended. Even better if it can be adopted at the EU level. Indeed, robots, drones, smart cars, etc. raise numerous liability issues, but not only. In February, the European Commission voted in favour of a new proposed legislation. But is the law ready for it? You are certainly a big fan of the HBO's sci-fi/western drama TV show : "Westworld”; the amusement park where robots and humans live together, until the day a “bug” disrupts the robots and detracts the functioning of the park. This park is perhaps the European Union of tomorrow... (and I’m not talking about Brexit) ; an anticipative legislative instrument in robotics would therefore be welcome. Recently, the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs ("JURI") asked the European Commission in a Report to look at new EU-wide rules...

Let's celebrate! The Belgian Red Devils advance to Euro 2016 quarterfinals . Companies, marketers, and non-sponsors brands are now preparing for the next exciting in-house event, contest, etc. using the logos, mascots, signs, of the UEFA. But be aware of the limit of your rights to avoid a red card. It’s important to understand the rules of the game; no one needs the costs of a lawsuit for going offside. What are the risks? UEFA holds several registered figurative and word trademarks relating to this football tournament. These trademarks are protected at the European level offering the UEFA an unified system of protection throughout the 28 Member states. These trademarks are simultaneously protected in a very large number of other worldwide jurisdictions through the Madrid System. Among others: The word trademarks: UEFA EURO 2016 , EURO 2016 , UEFA , UEFA EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ; The figurative trademarks: UEFA EURO 2016 FRANCE , the bid process logo, EURO 2...

The 5th edition of ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA-IPL) International Action Group is hot off the press. Enjoy the current legal updates, commentaries, and opinions from around the world. Here is the link to it. Happy reading! 

Fresh and interesting article posted  on Trademarks & Brands Online about the continuing debate on Google passive or an active role when offering its online advertising service, AdWords, service that places advertising copy at the top, bottom, or beside, the list of search results Google displays for a particular search query. Happy reading! "Being visible on the internet is crucial for many companies. The main goal is to be ranked at the top of the first page, either through natural referencing (which uses coding techniques) or sponsored links. As Google is the world’s biggest search engine, its AdWords advertisement service is at the heart of this issue and has also raised major questions concerning trademark protection. These sponsored adverts appear either on the top or the right side of the so-called natural search results. It is thought that the AdWords system is Google’s main source of revenue. This success of the advertisement platform may explain why Amazon an...

Fresh and interesting article from Health Issues India about the next fighting front in the war over intellectual property: Hepatitis C in India: "In recent weeks, the international non-governmental organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced that it supports the ‘patent opposition’ which has been filed recently at India’s Patent Office by the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK). The application aims to prevent US pharma company Gilead/Pharmasset from gaining a patent in India on sofosbuvir, a drug for hepatitis C, which will be launched here soon. Sofosbuvir is the first of several oral hepatitis C drugs expected to come to market in the coming year. It cures hepatitis C in a much shorter time period than today’s available treatment. Gilead is expected to charge around $80,000 for one treatment course of sofosbuvir in the US. As mentioned in this article in the Times of India, even if offered at a fraction of this price in dev...

Belgium is not only famous for food (such as french fries, chocolates, waffles), beers and the statue of a little boy peeing in a fountain. We also have a Belgian boy reporter: Tintin! (and Snowy, of course).  In general, a copyright law prevents the unauthorized copying of a work of authorship. It is about protecting authors by rewarding them for their creative efforts. A copyright law grants certain exclusive rights (such as the right of reproduction and distribution) to the owner of a copyright in a work, for instance, a book. As it is the case with every right, the question is: how long should it last? The duration of copyright protection is the life of the author plus 70 years. As you will read in this article, Hergé died on March, 3 1983. Therefore, the copyright protection will lapse on March 3, 2053 (1983 + 70).  This fresh and interesting article is about a possible future copyright protection saga concerning Tintin character (from the IPKat ): ...

Fresh and interesting infographic about IP Theft from i-Sight: Copy(right) Cats: How Intellectual Property Theft Affects Everyone, Including You from i-Sight

A fter almost half a century of striving for unified patent protection throughout the European Union, one of the biggest single markets on the planet, the creation of a single EU patent system is within reach and should be a reality in 201 7 . However, the Unified Patent Court system still needs to be completed  [1] . With less than a week to go before October 1 , 2013 (deadline for the public, i.e. international companies, to submit their suggestions on the Unified Patent Court's Rules of Procedure  [2] )  things are getting a little more interesting. On Wednesday September 25, 2013 a group of 14 global innovators and users of the European patent system (among others, Google, Microsoft, HP, Intel, Yahoo, Apple, Samsung, and also non-IT companies such as Adidas and DHL), has sent an open letter   [4] to European Officials and decision-makers outlining their concerns about the coming change of this new Unified Patent Court. As innovators, these tech com...