http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/ WIPO Lex News OCMS en WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0004.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0004.html Australia: The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Raising the Bar) Act was enacted on April 15, 2012, and came into force in its entirety on April 15, 2013. This Act includes the amendments to the Copyright Act 1968, the Patents Act 1990, the Trade Marks Act 1995, the Plant Breeder's Rights Act 1994, and the Designs Act 2003. The amendments address six key areas: raising the quality of granted patents, free access to patented inventions for regulatory approvals and research, reducing delays in resolution of patent and trade mark applications, assisting the operations of the IP profession, improving mechanisms for trade mark and copyright enforcement, and simplifying the IP system.]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0003.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0003.html Mexico: The Decree Promulgating the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks was issued on February 1, 2013, by the President of Mexico, pursuant to Section I of Article 89 of Mexico’s Federal Constitution. By virtue of this Decree, published on February 8, 2013, the President has announced the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks to be in force in Mexico from February 1, 2013, in accordance with Article 14(4)(b) of the Protocol, and the Madrid (Marks) Notification No. 198, in which the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) notified the deposit by the Government of Mexico, on November 19, 2012, of its instrument of accession to the Protocol.]]> Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0002.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0002.html Denmark: The Order of January 18, 2013 on Patents and Supplementary Protection Certificates, issued by the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO) came into force on February 1, 2013. It was issued pursuant to sections 5(2), 6(2), 8a, 8b(2), 9, 11, 22(7), 22(8), 28(2), 31, 34, 38(2), 45(2), 48(3), 69, 71(2), 88(1)(iii), 90, 91 and 97 of the Consolidate Patents Act (Consolidate Act No. 108 of January 24, 2012). This Order has repealed Order No. 93 of January 29, 2009 on Patents and Supplementary Protection Certificates, and introduced the new procedures for opposition, administrative re-examination, and termination of a patent, as specified in Part IV of the Order.]]> Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0001.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2013/article_0001.html United States of America: H.R. 6621, entitled “An Act to Correct and Improve Certain Provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and Title 35, United States Code” was passed by the United States Congress, signed into law by the President of the United States on January 14, 2013 and became Public Law No. 112-274. The Act makes a number of technical corrections to the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA), and other provisions of the Patent Act, title 35 of the United States Code. This new law makes technical changes to the AIA. Among the key amendments are: the elimination of the nine-month “dead zone”, during which certain patents were ineligible for post grant review (“PGR”) or inter partes review (“IPR”) (Section 1(d)); the extension of the deadline for an applicant to file an inventor’s oath or declaration until the date on which the issue fee for the patent is paid (Section 1(f)); the modification of requirements and time periods for activities relating to patent term adjustments (“PTA”) such as the adjustment period for certain international applications (Section 1(h)); the repeal of Section 373 of title 35, United States Code, on improper applicants (Section 1(i)); and the clarification of the time period to institute derivation proceedings (Section 1(k)(1)).]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0003.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0003.html Ethiopia: The Council of Ministers Regulation No. 273/2012 of December 24, 2012 on Trademark Registration and Protection was issued on December 24, 2012 and entered into force on the same date. This Regulation brings into force a new trademark regime for the registration of trademark rights as provided in the Trademark Registration and Protection Proclamation No. 501/2006. Accordingly, it provides detailed provisions on the trademark registration process including the application for registration, examination, opposition, changes after registration, renewals, and invalidity and revocation of registration. In addition, it contains provisions relating to the transfer of ownership and license contract of a registered mark, and provisions on division, and merger of separate applications and registration of a series of trademarks. It further contains the Schedule on the Fees relating to trademark services. Article 59 of the Regulation stipulates that the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) may issue directives necessary for the implementation of the 2006 Proclamation and this Regulation.]]> Mon, 24 Dec 2012 08:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0004.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0004.html Australia: The Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011 (the Plain Packaging Act) was enacted by the Parliament on December 1, 2011 and entered into force in its entirety on December 1, 2012. This Act sets out the requirements for plain packaging and the appearance of tobacco products, the presentation of brand names and trademarks on tobacco products and packaging. Pursuant to Part 2 of Chapter 2 of the Act, the Tobacco Plain Packaging Regulations of 2011 were issued to provide for additional specific details on how the plain packaging requirements are to be implemented for tobacco products. The Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Act 2011 was enacted on the same date as the Plain Packaging Act to amend the Trade Marks Act 1995. It inserted a new section 231A to allow for regulations to be made under the Trade Marks Act 1995 to ensure that the tobacco plain packaging does not prevent the registration of new tobacco trademarks and the protection of registered tobacco trademarks against infringement.]]> Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0002.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0002.html Canada: The Copyright Act of 1985, has been amended by the Copyright Modernization Act, which was passed by the Parliament on June 29, 2012. Most of the amendments to the Copyright Act came into force on November 7, 2012, except for the provisions relating to the WIPO Internet Treaties, WCT and WPPT, and the Internet service provider notice-and-notice provisions. These amendments will bring Canada's copyright legislation in line with the international standards and with the evolving digital environment.]]> Wed, 07 Nov 2012 08:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0001.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2012/article_0001.html Canada: The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act was enacted by the Parliament on June 29, 2012 and entered into force on July 6, 2012. This Act aims to protect the environment from adversary effects of human activities. It especially promotes communication and cooperation with aboriginal peoples with respect to environmental assessments. Article 19(3) recognizes the value of considering aboriginal traditional knowledge when conducting an environmental assessment. The Act also guarantees the protection of traditional cultural expressions of aboriginal peoples. Article 5(c) of the Act stipulates that every environmental assessment should take into account the environmental effects and their potential impact on aboriginal peoples such as causing changes to their physical and cultural heritage, structures, sites or objects that are of historical, archaeological, paleontological or architectural significance.]]> Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2011/article_0014.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2011/article_0014.html Denmark: The Act Amending the Patents Act and Various Other Laws was adopted by the National Parliament of Denmark (Folketing) on December 28, 2011 and enters into force on February 1, 2012. It amends provisions concerning fees in the following laws: The Consolidated Patents Act, The Consolidated Trademarks Act, The Consolidated Designs Act, The Consolidated Utility Models Act, the Collective Marks Act and the Protection of the Topographies of Semiconductor Products Act. Henceforth, the publication fee of a Danish patent is modified so that the additional fee for publication, which is DKK 80 per page over 35 pages, will be charged, at the maximum, for 400 pages. This affects the publication of granted patents, validated European patents in Denmark and amended patents due to opposition or administrative re-examination. The Act supersedes the Order on the Fees of the Danish Patent and Trademark Office, which ceases to be the legal basis for fees from February 1, 2012.]]> Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0100 WIPO http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2011/article_0015.html http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/news/2011/article_0015.html Brunei Darussalam: The Patents Order, 2011 was approved by the Sultan of Brunei on October 12, 2011 and entered into force on January 1, 2012. It repeals the Emergency (Patents) Order, 1999 and Chapter 72 - Inventions. The Order establishes an independent patent system for the receipt, processing and grant of patents by a new Registry of Patents and facilitates the international filing of patents after Brunei has acceded to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and the Budapest Treaty.]]> Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0100