Around the IP blogs!

Take a trip around the IP blogs with IPKat! Highlights this week include a David versus Goliath trade mark battle in Norway, implications of the new NAFTA on IP and the legalization of graffiti in Chile. 

Copyright

Graffiti art

IPTango reports the announcement from the Chilean Chamber of Deputies that they have approved a project that regulates urban graphic art. IPTango considers the news in view of the treatment of graffiti by the copyright system: Legalizing Graffiti: Chilean Chamber of Deputies says YES!

Patents

Dennis Crouch of PatentlyO reports on the passage of the SUCCESS Act (HR 6758) through the US House of Representatives and US Senate. The Act is now awaiting the signature of President Trump to pass it into law. The bill will enable the USPTO to set its own fee structure until September 2026: USPTO to get Back its Fee Setting Authority

Trade marks

Kluwer Trademark Blog reports on the high profile trade mark infringement case in Norway, relating to the Norwegian lemon flavoured soft drink JALLASPRITE, and Coca-Cola, proprietor of the registered trade mark SPRITE. The producers of JALLASPRITE recently agreed to stop using JALLASPRITE, but re-labeled their product as JALLAXXXXXX. Coca-Cola have now sued O.Mathisen, claiming that the new name makes appear that Coca-cola have censored O.Mathisen. Coco-cola argues that this is in breach of good business practice under the Marketing Control Act: Norway: Ridicule as a response to claims of trade mark infringement.

IP finance provides the summary from the US Trade Representative of the IP highlights in the new "NAFTA" between the US, Canada and Mexico - re-branded as the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA): IP, Digital Trade and the New "NAFTA".

Written Description critiques a recent article published on SSRN on the question of whether patent laws affect where companies choose to locate their R&D. Michael Risch contrasts the article with an article on a similar topic in the American Economic Review (here): Do Patent Laws Affect the Location of R&D?

Author: Rose Hughes