In the realm of intellectual property, few disputes impact science, business, and medicine as profoundly as the years-long battle over patents for CRISPR technology ("genetic scissors"). In March 2026, this conflict took a new turn: Nobel laureates Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier once again lost a pivotal ruling in the United States.

Every year on January 1st, a quiet yet culturally monumental event takes place in the U.S.: new works enter the public domain, meaning they become free for anyone to use. In 2026, this wave has swept up a whole range of iconic characters, books, and cartoons originally created in the 1930s.

А recent decision by a federal court in Delaware demonstrates that the limits of this protection in the modern procurement environment are not unlimited. The case concerned a patent dispute surrounding Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. At its core was the interpretation of the phrase “for the Government” in Section 1498 and its application to products developed under government contracts.

The long-awaited decision of the Grand Board of Appeal addressed a question that frequently arises in practice: can the name of a well-known author function as an EUTM for goods and services capable of carrying content? In practice, this decision clarifies the EUIPO’s approach to authors’ names (and potentially other cultural figures) where the specification covers media, publications, and cultural or educational services.

The Indian trademark system has taken a step that until recently seemed almost impossible: the Indian Trade Marks Registry has, for the first time, accepted for examination an application for a so-called “smell mark” — a trademark defined not visually, but by scent. This decision represents not only a technical innovation, but also a challenge to the fundamental principles of trademark law.

March 2026 was marked by an unprecedented situation in which the activities of the USPTO became the subject of intense political confrontation in the United States Congress. The agency’s Director, John Squires, faced sharp criticism regarding the USPTO’s role in registering trademarks for the Board of Peace initiative, associated with Donald Trump.