Author Archives: Dr. Dirk Franke

Unified Patent Court (UPC): Opt-Out Strategy for Granted European Patents and European Patent Applications

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Dr. Dirk Franke

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is a central European court, which has become competent for granted European patents and European patent applications. For a transitional period of 7 to 14 years, the granted European patents will remain within the jurisdiction … Continue reading →

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Unitary Patent System: Start of the Transitional Measures on January 1, 2023

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Dr. Dirk Franke

The President of the Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and the Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the UPC recently announced that the transitional measures for the introduction of the Unitary patents will start on January … Continue reading →

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EUIPO: Discrimination of Applicants and Proprietors Based on Their Place of Business or Nationality

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Dr. Dirk Franke

In the case of a requested registration of a change of ownership of a registered EU trademark we noted that the European Union Intellectual Property Organisation (EUIPO) is now apparently discriminating customers in the proceedings based on the place of … Continue reading →

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GPTO: Increase of Official Fees on May 1, 2022 and July 1, 2022

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Dr. Dirk Franke

The German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) will increase on May 1, 2022 and July 1, 2022, respectively, the annuity fees for patents and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs). Annuity fees can be paid one year in advance at the GPTO. … Continue reading →

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Dr. Dirk Franke

We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022! Foto: © Pedro, [CC BY 2.0]

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Dr. Dirk Franke

We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021! Foto: © Heather Cowper, [CC BY 2.0]

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BREXIT: Implications for EU Trademarks and EU Designs

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Dr. Dirk Franke

The United Kingdom (UK) withdrew from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020 and is now in a transition period, wherein registered EU trademarks (EUTMs) and registered EU designs (RCDs) remain in force in the UK. However, the transition … Continue reading →

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Corona: Closures and Extensions of Time Limits at Patent and Trademark Offices

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Dr. Dirk Franke

In the following table, closures and extensions of time limits at the most important patent and trademark offices are summarized (as of April 21, 2020): Country Two letter code Status Notification Canada CA Extension of time limits until May 1, … Continue reading →

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Dr. Dirk Franke

We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2020! Foto: © Jason Mrachina, [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

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German Patent and Trade Mark Office: The German Trade Mark Law Modernization Act (MaMoG) took effect on January 14, 2019

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Dr. Dirk Franke

The German Trade Mark Law Modernization Act (MaMoG) took effect on January 14, 2019. This law implements the 2015 EU Trade Mark Directive in Germany. This has the following practical implications for those applying for German trade marks. 1. Introduction … Continue reading →

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