Firm News

Firm News

2024/03/05

Mr. Andrew Conduit from SKC Law (Indonesia) visited our firm today. Aside from catching up on changes and events at our two firms over the last several years, we also discussed things to keep in mind regarding the submission of declarations in Indonesia (renewals in particular), as well as the pitfalls and difficulties of pursuing non-use cancellation actions or invalidation actions against third-party registrations, as in Indonesia much of the burden of proof is placed on the plaintiff. He also updated us on the development of the Customs registration system that was recently put in place and what future expectations it might represent.

2024/02/20

Mr. Jialai Yuan from Fairsky Law Office visited our firm. He provided us with a detailed presentation on the “necessity” requirement to be recognized as “well-known mark” based on actual Chinese court decisions, the interesting practice of deliberately choosing a specific court (geographic location/jurisdiction), as well as changes in the new patent law to accept applications of partial design patents. We also discussed the common and different points concerning the “well-known mark” practice in Japan and China.

2023/12/15

Mr. Gang Hu, Mr. Ylongzhi, Mr. Jianzhong Yang, Ms. Limei Liu, and Ms. Shanshan Du from the firm of China Patent Agent (H.K) Ltd. (China) were kind enough to visit our office. After a considerable blank due to the pandemic it was good to catch up and exchange information. They were also kind enough to give us a presentation on several topics including the recent changes to the process and procurement of suspension of reviews with the TRAB (Appeal Board).

2023/12/05

Mr. Franck Soutoul, founder of INLEX-Management Europe and Africa (Mauritius/France) visited our firm today. He was kind enough to give us an update on the general trademark examination trends, explain the importance of obtaining IP protection around the African continent and providing us with some strategies for doing so. We also discussed some recent examination decisions of the EUIPO concerning distinctiveness.

2023/11/15

Mrs. Jennifer Colantoni (Spoor & Fisher Jersey) and Mr. Paul Ramara (Spoor & Fisher South Africa) were kind enough to visit us here in Tokyo. They provided us with a detailed presentation on the current status of IP affairs in many of the countries in Africa, from applications and examination to current anti-counterfeiting endeavors. Their pictures and personal experiences gave us a glimpse into the various countries and systems around the African continent.