A pilot project of the Canadian Trademark Office (CIPO) provides that the Office itself will randomly select certain registrations on a monthly basis to initiate a revocation proceeding for non-use (“Sec. 45”). If the owner is unable to prove use in Canada in the last three years of the trademark in the registered form, for all or part of the [...]

On November 22, 2024, a WIPO Diplomatic Conference of Member States adopted a new Treaty referred to as “Riyadh Design Law Treaty”. The Treaty aims to make international design procedures more predictable, so that it will be easier for designers to achieve protection in several different jurisdictions. Among other things, the Treaty will provide for a grace period of 12 [...]

A legislative revision of EU Designs entered into force on December 8, 2024; EU Member States will have 36 months to transpose it into their national law. This legislative revision includes a recast Directive on legal protection of designs and amended Regulations. The changes aim to harmonize procedures between European and national systems, and to modernize EU design protection to [...]

Due to the current embargo, many companies have interrupted sales in Russia and, therefore, the use of their brands, whose registrations can risk cancellation for non use, as time passes. There is also an increase in local "trademark squatters", that is, of subjects who record brands similar to those of foreign companies. In addition to the watching service on the [...]