Bulgaria: The Figure Of The Producer And The Different Meanings Of The Concept

The concept of the Producer under the current Bulgarian legislation includes several different understandings that tend to lead to practical difficulties arising with regards to determining the rights and obligations of the different types of Producers, as well as in the distribution of rights and obligations among the other participants in the process of creating and realising the different kinds of audiovisual work, and in the liability of the Producer to third parties.

The figure […]

By | November 3rd, 2017 ||

European Trade Mark Reform Round Up

EU Trade Marks can now be represented in any appropriate format using generally available technology.

Shortly after the new provisions came into force, we filed an EU Trade Mark Application for a sound mark without any graphical representation, submitting only an MP3 music file of the sound (here). This Application achieved registration at the end of January and is the first ever EU Trade Mark Registration for a non-graphically represented mark, of any kind (see https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#deta […]

By | November 2nd, 2017 ||

USA: Owning The Patent Isn’t Always Enough For Standing

In a recent Initial Determination (“ID”), Administrative Law Judge Lord ruled that a patent owner did not have standing to sue without joining a third party to which certain rights had been transferred. Certain Audio Processing Hardware, Software, and Products Containing the Same, Inv. No. 337-TA-1026, Initial Determination (Oct. 26, 2017).

Andrea Electronics Corp. (“Andrea”) filed a complaint asserting that a number of companies, including Apple Inc. (“Apple”) infringed its patents by importing certain products. It […]

By | November 1st, 2017 ||