On May 7, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published an announcement regarding a new pilot program for reviewing patent applications related to COVID-19. Applications submitted by small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as private individuals, will have a higher priority when examined by the expertise, without paying any additional fees. The main goal of the USPTO initiative is...

There is a new provision for applications for a declaration of invalidity and cancellation of a registered trade mark on the basis of a conflicting earlier right: if a right holder intended to initiate such invalidity proceedings against a later trade mark – because he believed that his earlier rights had been infringed – his only option up to now was to go to the ordinary courts. As from 1 May 2020...

The total number of patent applications filed is growing from year to year. So, in 2019, 181,406 applications were filed with the EPO, which is 4% more than in 2018, and it is a new record...

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has launched a new online resource for patents related to COVID-19. This platform is designed to support companies that are considering licensing patents related to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19...

Toyota Motors and Canon, as well as more than 20 other Japanese companies, will open their patents and other intellectual property objects in Japan and abroad for free use to help to fight against COVID-19 by joint efforts. The main goal is...

Polish Industrial Law on Patents entered into force. The main purpose of legislative changes was to...