Effective January 1st 2022, all of the members of SMITHS IP are now practising as part of the firm Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP. Feel free to contact us at our new home and emails at Oyen Wiggs.

Category: IP Practice and Law

Trademark Piracy – A Problem that Persists in China

Foreign companies entering the Chinese market are all too familiar with trademark piracy. Typically, a foreign company intending to register its mark in China finds out that someone has already applied to register the company’s brand in China. 

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When there’s a “will”, there’s a promise

As Napoleon once said, “The best way to keep one’s word is not to give it.” This is especially true for patents, where making a promise that an invention will do something may have very important consequences.

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“Use” of a Trademark in Association with Services – Does It Have to Be “In the Normal Course of Trade”?

Suppose you maintain a blog providing original guides and tips on low-budget travel, and intend to use your blog for branding purposes.

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Eli Lilly goes afta Canada under NAFTA

In November 2012, Eli Lilly initiated legal proceedings against Canada, alleging that the Canadian Federal Courts’ invalidation of Eli Lilly’s patents violated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 

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A New Wave of Patent Disputes Involving Subsequent Entry Biologic?

Biologics have revolutionized treatments for numerous complicated diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. Biologics are derived through living organisms and tend to be significantly more variable and structurally complex than traditional small molecule drugs.

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