Back in 2020, the famous Chinese brew company Tsingtao Beer filed an administrative complaint for trademark infringement against a smaller Chinese competitor for the use of recycled Tsingtao beer bottles. The smaller brewery was filling legitimately recycled Tsingtao bottles with their own beer. The recycled bottles did not bear the Tsingtao labels and marks, which … Continue Reading
We are delighted to share a recent journal article by our China IP expert, Paolo Beconcini, as published in the Review of Intellectual Property Law (RIPL). In this article, Dr. Beconcini provides a thorough and well-documented review of recent changes in China’s regulations on trade secret protection and enforcement. Many of these changes were made in … Continue Reading
US company Celgard, LLC has secured an interim injunction against its rival, Chinese company Shenzhen Senior Technology Material Co Ltd (“Senior”), that prevents Senior from importing or supplying its battery accessory products into the UK. The Court found there was a likelihood that Senior had misused Celgard’s confidential information and trade secrets, and that the … Continue Reading
With no known vaccine and high infection rates, countries all over the world continue to take precautions to protect their citizens from Covid-19 by issuing “Stay-at-Home” Orders that prevent residents from leaving their homes except for essential tasks. Homes have transformed from private retreats to offices for one or more working household members, classrooms, and … Continue Reading
After deliberating less than three hours, a jury in the Northern District of Illinois recently awarded Motorola Solutions over $700 million in damages for a civil claim arising under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”). Motorola Sols., Inc. v. Hytera Commc’ns Corp., Ltd., No. 1:17-cv-1973, ECF No. 834 (N.D. Ill. Jan. 31, 2020). Most remarkable … Continue Reading
Recent cases of trademark theft involving Chinese employees of US companies and China’s ever rampant phenomenon of trademark squatting have emerged as very critical areas of dispute between China and several Western countries. On April 23, 2019, two new sets of regulations were adopted by China’s State Council addressing these concerns. Both introduce more effective … Continue Reading
The UK Trade Secrets Regulations which came into effect earlier this month for the first time provide a statutory definition of a “trade secret.” The definition is narrower than the existing standard and focuses more on whether the information has been kept secret rather than its inherently secret nature. This new requirement puts the onus … Continue Reading
In August 2017, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer initiated an investigation to determine whether the acts, policies, and practices of the Chinese Government related to technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation are unreasonable or discriminatory and either burden or restrict US commerce under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. … Continue Reading
On Friday, December 15, 2017, the US Department of Justice and Department of State announced the launch of an IP Law Enforcement Coordinator Network. The Network focuses on international trademark counterfeiting, copyright piracy and other forms of intellectual property rights infringement across the world, spanning all industry sectors. Though the components of the Network are … Continue Reading
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)’s Post-Prosecution Pilot (P3) Program, launched on July 11, 2016, was terminated on January 12, 2017, just 6 months after it began. In general, the P3 Program combined the benefits of a Pre-Appeal Brief Request for Review and the After Final Consideration Pilot 2.0 program (AFCP 2.0), and included … Continue Reading
The USITC’s investigation in Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Products, Inv. No. 337-TA-1002 was instituted to investigate alleged violations of Section 337 by the Chinese steel industry based on claims of trade secret misappropriation, false designation of origin, and (atypically for a 337 proceeding) antitrust violations. While the first two claims are proceeding to trial, the … Continue Reading
The EU Trade Secrets Directive came into force on 5 July 2016 and must be implemented in EU member states by 9 June 2018. Via this link, read a summary of what this means for UK businesses, together with a more detailed analysis of the Directive and suggested steps to prepare for its introduction. The impact … Continue Reading
We invite you to attend a webinar – The Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016: Leveraging the New Federal Framework to Protect IP – co-presented by Steve Auvil of Squire Patton Boggs. Steve will address key provisions of the DTSA , outlining what companies and their counsel need to know about protecting and enforcing IP rights. The … Continue Reading
On 19 July, we ran a webinar for clients entitled ‘Brexit: What could happen to my IP rights?’ We considered how IP protection in the UK will be affected by Brexit and discussed how IP filing and management strategies might be adapted now. The webinar was well attended and client feedback was that it had been … Continue Reading
The UK electorate has decided that the UK should leave the European Union (EU). The referendum does not take immediate effect. Current EU law and EU-wide rights, for example, the EU trade mark and the registered Community design, will continue to apply until the withdrawal from the EU actually happens. The process of leaving the … Continue Reading
By way of follow-up to earlier posts (here and here), we can report that the Council of the European Union has formally adopted the Trade Secrets Directive. This is the last step in the EU legislative process. The Directive must now be published in the EU Official Journal. It will come into force 20 days … Continue Reading
We invite you to participate in our webinar on the Defend Trade Secrets Acts of 2016 on Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 9:00 am pdt. President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA), S. 1890, into law on May 11, 2016. The DTSA creates the first-ever federal civil cause of action for … Continue Reading
The Defend Trade Secrets Act was signed into law on May 11, 2016. It creates the first-ever federal civil cause of action for trade secret misappropriation. We have prepared an article on the Act. The article distills the DTSA’s most important aspects – and omissions – into a distinct set of takeaways of practical use to … Continue Reading
With the UK’s referendum on membership of the EU now just a month away, the focus is on what the likely impact of a Brexit would be. We have prepared an article summarising the impact a Brexit would have on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the UK. This will be relevant … Continue Reading
President Barack Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) into law yesterday, May 11, 2016. As we previously reported, the Senate unanimously passed the bill on April 4, and the House overwhelmingly passed it on April 27. The President has long supported the legislation to bring greater harmonization to trade secrets enforcement, following an … Continue Reading
On April 27, 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Defend Trade Secrets Act, S. 1890, by a vote of 410-2. The Senate approved an identical bill 87-0 on April 4, 2016. President Obama is expected to sign the DTSA into law in short order. Once effective, the DTSA will create a federal, civil cause … Continue Reading
By way of follow up to our January blog post, we can now report that, at the end of last week, the European Parliament voted in favour of the Trade Secrets Directive. This was despite some concern that the Directive could threaten press freedom, transparency and the ability to whistleblow. In essence, the Directive seeks … Continue Reading
Just as 2015 was coming to a close, Europe’s key legislative bodies (the EU Commission, the EU Council and the European Parliament) suddenly reached surprise political agreement on a number of pieces of proposed legislation. This included the draft Trade Secrets Directive. This Directive was originally proposed by the Commission back in 2013. Not much … Continue Reading
On 28 November, the European Commission published proposals to reform trade secrets law across Europe. These reforms should make it easier for trade secrets holders to protect their trade secrets and enforce their rights. The reforms are set out in a new EU Directive – full title the Directive on the protection of undisclosed know-how … Continue Reading
