Latest news and views tagged Intellectual property
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Counterfeit goods that are in the European Union purely because they are in transit between non-EU countries cannot be seized by customs authorities, according to a ruling of the European Court of Justice....
Advertising laws for the Olympics come into force
The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Advertising and Trading) (England) Regulations 2011 have come into force to combat the exploitation of the Olympic and Paralympic brands in London in 2012....
European Court says Belgian Internet service provider does not have to block content that may infringe copyright – Scarlet v SABAM, European Court of Justice
Scarlet, a Belgian Internet service provider, should not be required to block the content of its website users as a measure to prevent them from infringing copyright in music belonging to Sabam’s music...
“The Patent Cliff – Lipitor goes over the Edge”
As the largest ever number of patents protecting the pharmaceutical industry’s most profitable “blockbuster” drugs are set to expire, for India and China it’s going to be a very merry Christmas...
Rooney hits the winner as image right agreement ruled to be a restraint of trade – Proactive Sports Management Ltd v Rooney & Others, Court of Appeal
In 2003, as a 17-year-old, Wayne Rooney (R) entered into an image-rights representation agreement with Proactive Sports Management Ltd (P). Under the agreement, R’s image rights, which he had vested...
Murky trade mark mess as German Merck takes action against Facebook for US Merck use of Facebook page
Merck KGaA has applied for a court order to receive information from Facebook after the German drugs giant claims to have discovered that the social networking site had allegedly allowed its American pharmaceutical...
ICO publishes briefing on the future of data protection in the EU
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a briefing outlining the European Commission’s (EC) proposals to reform the Data Protection Directive, and sets out its views on a number of...
OFT investigates pharma sector patent settlement agreements
The Office of Fair Trading has announced that it is investigating patent litigation agreements relating to paroxetine. Paroxetine is a medicine used in the treatment of disorders such as depression and...
Small claims service for IP claims announced
The Intellectual Property Office has announced that it will introduce a small-claims service for intellectual property cases, which will be heard in the Patents County Court. The Hargreaves Digital Opportunity...
High Court confirms TV Catchup referrals to the ECJ – ITV Broadcasting Limited & others v TV Catchup Limited, High Court
The High Court recently ruled on a case of infringement of copyright, brought by ITV Broadcasting and others against TV Catchup Limited, who operated a website allowing Internet users to watch live UK...