Proposed Revisions to the Chinese Patent Law (December 2015)

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PatentToday’s blog post has been kindly brought to you by our IPR expert Mr. Toby Mak from Tee & Howe Intellectual Property Attorneys. In his article, which was first published in UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) Journal,  Mr. Mak gives a detailed overview of the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office’s final draft of the proposed revisions to the Chinese Patent Law. 

In December 2015, the Chinese SIPO published their final draft of the proposed revisions (the proposal) to the Chinese Patent Law (the Law) to seek public opinion. Compare to the draft in April 2015 (please see my report in the May issue of the CIPA Journal), there are a lot of significant changes in this proposal, while many changes proposed in April 2015 were retained. This article reports these proposed revisions in the final draft, together with my comments.

As this article closely relates to mine published in May 2015 issue of the CIPA Journal, I will continue to use the same number scheme for various topics so that the two articles could be referred to each other.

To start with, let us have a look at the changes that have been retained and remain unchanged: Continue reading “Proposed Revisions to the Chinese Patent Law (December 2015)” »

Things to Consider before Filing a Trademark Application under the Madrid Protocol in Thailand

FotorCreated222Following an exciting webinar on the Madrid International Trade Mark System last week, our IPR SME Helpdesk  Expert Mr. Franck  Fougere  from Ananda  Intellectual Property has kindly drafted for us a blog post on the pros and cons of filing a trade mark application under the Madrid Protocol in Thailand.

The Madrid Protocol is a system that facilitates trademark applications in multiple countries. Thailand is expected to join the Madrid Protocol before the end of 2016. There are, however, issues that the prudent business owner should consider before filing a trademark application via the Madrid Protocol. These issues are of particular importance  for Thai businesses that plan to file applications in Thailand. Continue reading “Things to Consider before Filing a Trademark Application under the Madrid Protocol in Thailand” »

Good News! The Chinese Trademark Office is introducing Seven New Services for Trademark Applications.

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shutterstock_81193486-520x345Today our expert Rainy Liu from Beijing Lawconstant shares with us some good  news from the Chinese Trade Mark Office.

As of the 24 March 2016, the Chinese Trademark Office will

  • Issue a new ‘Guide to Common Questions for Trademark Applications’ which will address inquiries relating to the new Chinese Trademark Law.
  • No longer require notarisation of certified documents for trademark applications including; the image or name of celebrities, trademark assignment, revocation and correction of the name or address of foreign applicants.
  • Provide guidelines and explanations detailing appropriate responses to ‘official actions’.

Continue reading “Good News! The Chinese Trademark Office is introducing Seven New Services for Trademark Applications.” »

South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: Semiconductor Designs in Malaysia

ji2_092Semiconductor topographies, or integrated circuit layout-designs (as they are known in Malaysia), are configurations of computer chips and other semiconductors which determine how they function. Layout-designs are specifically excluded from the list of articles which can be registered as industrial designs and are afforded their own category of protection, which is governed by the Layout-Designs of Integrated Circuits Act (2000).

Continue reading “South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: Semiconductor Designs in Malaysia” »

South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: Malaysia, the ASEAN Economic Community, the TPP, and Intellectual Property

shutterstock_30496642_sMalaysia is a South-East Asian nation consisting of sections on the Malay Peninsula and on the island of Borneo, with the South China Sea lying between them. Malaysia’s population of over 30 million works in the world’s 20th most competitive economy (as of 2014-15), with a PPP GDP of $747 billion, making it the third largest in ASEAN and the 28th largest worldwide. Malaysia’s newly-industrialised market economy has consistently posted impressive gains, averaging 6.5% growth per annum over the period 1957-2005.

Continue reading “South-East Asia IPR Basics Series: Malaysia, the ASEAN Economic Community, the TPP, and Intellectual Property” »