Archive – IP (2024)

Counterfeiting and unauthorized access to authentic products are growing problems that brands across all industries are grappling with. It goes beyond importation of fake handbags and sale of counterfeit paintings falsely attributed to famous artists. The EUIPO has published a clear guide on the ACA

In October 2024, the European Union adopted a package of design law reforms aimed at fundamentally improving design protection in the EU. This "design package" includes a new the revised directive on the legal protection of designs and the amended regulation on European Union designs that do not onl

Geographical indications are not just a bureaucratic term – they safeguard the unique qualities and reputations of specialty foods, wines, and spirits that stem from their distinct geographic origins. These appellations have become synonymous with credibility and originality, whether it is mountain

Trade marks are an important tool for protecting a brand's identification and reputation in the market. In recent years, there has been a widespread trend in Europe and worldwide to register pattern marks, which are particularly popular among fashion brands. However, the registration of this type of

While the record for the fastest goal in the history of the European Championship has already been set at EURO 2024, one of the fastest decisions in the world of patents, rejecting an application for a provisional measure, was made before the European Football Championship even started. Thanks to th

BMW has once again found out before the Czech courts that its trade marks are not all-powerful. The appellate courts did not grant BMW protection under its trade mark on the ground of the limitation of its effects.

Satire has been a social phenomenon since ancient Greece. And yet, we lawyers have not been able to agree on exactly where the boundaries are for engaging in lawful conduct and infringing on someone else’s rights. This space is explored with every new dispute, every new court decision, and every new

There is no criminal like Pablo Escobar. This is how one could summarise the decision of the European Court of Justice of 17 April 2024, upholding the decision of the Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office to refuse the application for the European trade mark "Pablo Escob

The majority of clients who approach us for assistance in filing a trademark application are, of course, most interested in protection of their trademark in the Czech Republic, Slovakia or the European Union. Another popular trademark "destination" is the USA. However, be prepared that this is a ver

Coexistence agreements are one of the options that two owners of similar or identical trademarks have in a situation where they want to agree on how to (co-)exist together not only on the market but also in trademark registers. But can you really be sure that a coexistence agreement gives you a guar