Posts in International

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center released the first edition of its Trade in Unsafe Medicines Index today, a report prepared with Pugatch Consilium that benchmarks 12 economies on their propensity to contribute to trade in unsafe and illicit medicines and their ability to deter it. Eight of the 12 economies scored below 50%, and the overall mean score was 43.03%.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and the European Commission released a report today titled “EU Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” on results at the EU border and in the EU internal market in 2025. The report explained that “over 196 million counterfeit articles were detained at the EU border and in the EU internal market, with an estimated retail value of EUR 6.3 billion.” Detention volume rose over 67% from 2024, and the estimated value surpassed 2024 by almost 63%, which the report identifies as the “second consecutive all-time record” for value.

Last week, the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) issued a pair of press releases conveying important clarifications to large platform designations under a pair of major legislative packages regulating e-commerce within the EU: the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In one ruling by the EU’s General Court, and another opinion issued by an Advocate General of the CJEU, large platform designations creating obligations under either of those acts have been upheld for both major social media platform TikTok and Stripchat, an online adult entertainment platform operated across the EU.

Brazil is ranked as the world’s third-largest beauty and personal care consumer market, according to Euromonitor data compiled by ABIHPEC (Brazilian Association of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Industry. Even in a socially and economically diverse country such as Brazil, self-care is a priority. Beauty products are present in nearly 100% of Brazilian households and account for almost 6% of the global market. Brazilians are also open to trying new products and brands. In this context, Asian beauty brands are already gaining a significant foothold in the country…. However, successfully entering the Brazilian market involves more than making products available to local consumers. It also requires protecting the IP assets that underpin the brand.

Today, the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) issued a press release announcing a series of measures designed to create guidelines and administrative procedures for increasing transparency and efficiency surrounding the licensing of standard-essential patents (SEPs). The long-awaited announcement brings some relief to SEP owners concerned about the prospects of proposed SEP royalty rate proceedings and mandated disclosures, though the UK government still intends to “explore the introduction of a court-anchored” proceeding for determining fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing obligations early in patent infringement proceedings in UK courts.

A brand protection program can remove thousands of infringing listings and still leave the business behind them largely intact. Sellers return under different accounts, storefronts multiply, and counterfeit goods continue reaching customers. AI compounds the problem: the same technology that helps rights holders detect infringement can help counterfeiters generate replacement listings and create new accounts more quickly. Such is the neverending game of whack-a-mole confronting brands.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on October 7, recommending that USTR include Facebook, Instagram, Alibaba.com, AliExpress, and DHgate in its 2026 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy (NML) report. While Alibaba and DHgate platforms have been included on the list before, Facebook and Instagram have “avoided accountability” so far, according to the letter. 

I am pleased to introduce “Postcard from WIPO,” a new occasional series for the U.S. intellectual property community. Having spent much of my career working on IP issues in the United States, including as Deputy Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), I know how important it is to understand what is happening in the international IP system. From Geneva, I now have a different vantage point on that work, and I would like to share it with you.

A defendant facing an action for infringement of an EU trademark may challenge the validity of that trademark by filing a counterclaim before the EU trademark court. But what happens if the defendant does not do so? Is the opportunity to challenge the trademark’s validity lost, or may the defendant later seek a declaration of invalidity from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)?

One possible framework for protecting trade secrets while regulating AI is an International AI Assurance and Access Compact, organized around “verifiable reciprocity.” Participating jurisdictions would recognize defined compliance findings in exchange for comparable verification obligations, alongside commitments to fund regulatory capacity. This is a proposed arrangement, not existing law. Its consequences for intellectual property (IP) turn on what evidence travels across borders and what rights remain unaffected.

Biological drugs, or biologics, are now a well-established class of therapeutic products worldwide. Unlike conventional small-molecule drugs, which are generally obtained through chemical synthesis and have relatively simple and well-defined structures, biologics are derived from living organisms or produced through biotechnology processes involving living cells. They include, among others, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, hormones, blood-derived products and advanced cell-based therapies.

African tech funding just had its strongest year since the 2022 peak…. That discipline shows up nowhere more clearly than in due diligence, and increasingly, that due diligence includes a hard look at intellectual property. For African founders raising from U.S. investors, and for U.S. funds evaluating African deals, understanding what actually gets scrutinized is no longer optional. It can determine whether a term sheet survives diligence intact, gets repriced, or falls apart entirely.

A songwriter told the U.S. Supreme Court this week to reject an attempt by the four largest music companies in the world to reverse a Fifth Circuit ruling granting him all rights to the 1966 Swingin’ Medallions single, “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love).” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an opinion in January 2026 in Vetter v. Resnick, affirming the Middle District of Louisiana’s grant of summary judgment declaring that Cyril Vetter, co-author of “Double Shot,” and Vetter’s affiliated companies are the sole owners of the copyright to the song throughout the world.

Yesterday, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released its 2026 Global Innovation Index (GII) identifying metropolitan clusters around the world seeing the highest levels of innovation activity as judged by publications and R&D investments. This year’s Index underscores the growing tech dominance of China, which accounted for one-quarter of the top 100 innovation clusters in this year’s survey of top tech and innovation hubs around the world.