In the field of autonomous driving, the decision as to whether an invention should be patented or kept undisclosed as a trade secret is increasingly becoming a key factor for future market success. The reason: the employees in this highly innovative, very dynamic and more converging segment of the automotive and digital industries are not… Continue reading Autonomous Driving: Dealing with Trade Secrets
Tag: Patents
Great Wall of Consequences
China once again tightens the measures against IP rights infringers and strengthens own control over companies and managers. 38 Chinese state-level authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 5, 2018. Central message of the document is that authorities – including the National Intellectual Property Administration and the Supreme People’s Court – are working… Continue reading Great Wall of Consequences
All Eyes on China
On December 3, 2019 the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) released its annual report on global IP activities, covering numbers on patents, designs, trademarks and many more for 2017. Like last year (link to article), WIPO’s central message again is: China is playing a leading role amongst global IP offices, especially when it comes to… Continue reading All Eyes on China
China Introduces a National IP and Technology Appeals Court
On October 26, 2018, the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) published a Decision which introduces a new nation-wide appeals court for first instance technology and IP cases. The long-awaited step has first been announced in May, 2018 (link to the article) and will come into force on January 1, 2019. Like China’s… Continue reading China Introduces a National IP and Technology Appeals Court
Dangerous Simplification
Referring to the article “Patentes Märchen” (“patent fairy tale”) in the WirtschaftsWoche magazine No. 42 of October 12, 2018: It is common knowledge that complex issues can only be understood through differentiated analysis. This especially applies to the international patent system. To the German industry, it is well-known that China subsidies Chinese patent applications and… Continue reading Dangerous Simplification
China and EU: First Steps in Harmonization of IP Protection
The new China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the European Patent Office (EPO) set plans for their future cooperation in Munich on September 21, 2018. It was the first meeting of CNIPA and EPO since the Chinese trademark and patent administration merged into a single administration in August (link to the article). CNIPA is,… Continue reading China and EU: First Steps in Harmonization of IP Protection
Chinese Companies Turn the Tables
Not only do Chinese companies register property rights for their intellectual property on a massive scale, but also have their measures of enforcement become more aggressive. The majority of cases brought to Chinese IP courts do not involve, as one might assume, Western companies that defend their IP rights against Chinese forgers, but litigations between… Continue reading Chinese Companies Turn the Tables
International Patent Applications: The Growth Comes from China
2016 was the year of Chinese patents. Overall, 233,000 applications were filed under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) – which constitutes a 7.3 percent increase compared with the previous year. Chinese applicants are responsible for 98% of the overall growth in demand for international patent applications. Since 2002, China-based filers have recorded double-digit growth each year.… Continue reading International Patent Applications: The Growth Comes from China
China’s fast-track for patents
Administrative Measures for Priority Examination of Patent Applications, issued by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China, have come into effect on 1st August 2017. They aim at broadening the range of technologies that are considered eligible for priority examination, as well as opening up opportunities for applicants of utility models… Continue reading China’s fast-track for patents
Product Fakes in Switzerland: Souvenirs Declining, Online Bargains on the Rise
In Switzerland, the number of counterfeit brand products imported by tourists as vacation souvenirs decreased by 40 percent in 2016, in comparison to 2015. Apparently, the Custom’s measures to inform tourists about the prohibited import of fake products are effective. Yet the growth of trade volumes with counterfeit products remains unbroken. The reason is the… Continue reading Product Fakes in Switzerland: Souvenirs Declining, Online Bargains on the Rise
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