Intellectual Property News from Eastern Europe

At the start of the new year I pledged that I would start to try and expand the scope of IPWatchdog.com to touch upon intellectual property matters outside the United States.  In part this means trying to add an international flavor where appropriate, which is certainly always possible in part through discussion of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).  In another facet it means profiling interesting stories relating to foreign intellectual property laws.

Some time ago Petosevic, a firm that offers a full range of intellectual property services in Eastern Europe, contacted us and offered us the ability to republish some of their news articles.  So from time to time we will publish excerpts of their articles with links back to their website for additional information.

As frequent readers of IPWatchdog.com know, my expertise does not largely lie in the international arena.  Because we are always interested in publishing original articles with viewpoints different from my own, and from those with different experiences, if anyone is interested in contributing articles having an international flavor please send me an e-mail.

Without further ado, here is some recent intellectual property news from Eastern Europe courtesy of Petosevic.

 

Czech Republic Applies for Patent Protection for Powdered Beer Recipe

The Czech Research Institute of Brewing and Malting has applied for a worldwide patent to protect its allegedly unique powdered beer recipe. The Institute has been producing powdered beer since the early 1990s by mixing the powdered hop wort with water and yeast and leaving it to sit around for three weeks. Now it wants to protect its recipe against other powdered beer recipes. According to experts, the Czechs face tough competition as there already exist two patents connected with powdered beer production, one in Korea and one in Germany. Click to continue reading…

 

Software Piracy Rates Increasing in Ukraine

According to the data recently presented by the analytical company IDC, the rate of unlicensed software use in Ukraine increased by 1 percent last year, reaching the 85 percent mark, while the piracy losses reached USD 272,000,000 (EUR 220,000,000) in 2009. Click to continue reading…

 

Montenegro New Trademark Law Gives 12-month Deadline to Trademark Owners

The Montenegrin parliament is expected to adopt a new trademark law in early July. The law will enter into force on the 8th day from its publication in the Official Gazette of Montenegro. The most important provision of the new law affects the owners of trademarks registered before the Serbian Intellectual Property Office before May 28, 2008, the opening date of the Montenegrin IPO. Click to continue reading…

 

New Trademark Law in Armenia Enters into Force July 1

The Armenian Parliament has recently adopted the new Law on Trademarks, which is to enter into force on July 1, 2010. The document is a completely new piece of legislation abolishing the previous Law on Trademarks, Service Marks and Appellations of Origin from the year 2000. The Law follows recent trademark developments and constitutes a great leap forward to a complete and comprehensive system of trademarks rights protection in Armenia. Click to continue reading…

 

Adidas Loses Against Hungarian Inventor in Patent Infringement Suit

On May 12, 2010, the Hungarian Patent Office (HPO) ruled in favor of the Hungarian soccer gear inventor Laszlo Oroszi in his patent infringement suit against the German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas, concerning Oroszi’s patent known as the ball-directing striped-line zone that Adidas allegedly, without Oroszi’s authorization, incorporated into their Predator Precision range of soccer shoes. Click to continue reading…

 

First Electronic Application for Invention in Ukraine

After working for almost five years on introducing electronic applications, at the beginning of June the Ukrainian Industrial Property Institute received the first electronic application for an invention complete with the digital signature. Click to continue reading…

 

Russian Online Pharmacy Uses PGEU Endorsement Logo Without Authorization

A Russian online pharmacy has been using the endorsement logo of the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU), a European association representing European Union pharmacists, on their e-commerce website without PGEU authorization, leading consumers to believe that the pharmaceutical goods sold on the Russian website are approved by this Brussels-based organization. Click to continue reading…

 

Tightening Up in the Balkans

Legislation in the Western Balkan countries (Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Serbia and Kosovo) is already largely in line with most European Union directives, as required for the EU entry. When it comes to enforcing the legislation before the courts, each country is different. Yet, they have all made progress, to varying degrees, to better protect intellectual property. Recent case law in Serbia and Croatia demonstrates the general trends. Click to continue reading…

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