On 4th April 2021, the Honourable President of India announced The Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Ordinance, 2021 (the ‘Ordinance’). Pursuant to the Ordinance, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (‘IPAB’) would be abolished. Before the Ordinance comes into effect, the Ordinance had to be laid before both the Houses of Parliament for consideration, […]
Publications
Key Changes in Singapore’s new Copyright Bill
The Second Reading of Singapore’s new Copyright Bill (“Draft Bill”) has been tabled for September 2021. The Draft Bill is set to replace the current Copyright Act (Cap. 60, Rev. Ed. 2006), which has been in force for fifteen years. In particular, it appears that the Draft Bill allows for stronger copyright protection for creators/performers […]
Trademark Infringement E-Complaint Feature by Registry
Most cases of Indonesian trademark infringement matters are filed through a direct formal complaint to the National Police Unit. Not many cases are filed through Directorate General of Intellectual Property (“DGIP”) even though such a mechanism is allowed under the Trademark Law No. 20 of 2016. Specifically, Article 99 in Chapter XVII of Trademark Law No. […]
Favipiravir: Patent rejection in Thailand
Favipiravir (or T-705; 6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2-pyrazinecarboxamide) is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug used in the treatment of multiple diseases, and is the first drug approved by countries around the world as an emergency option for Covid-19 cases. Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) has since rejected a Thai patent application filed under the compulsory license system for a […]
Vietnam – Circular No. 6959/TB-SHTT to temporarily ease the stringent signatory requirement by Circular No. 13822/TB-SHTT
The Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam (NOIP) has released a new circular, Circular No. 6959/TB-SHTT (“Circular 6959”) in order to temporarily ease the strict requirements in relation to the signatory requirements of the formal documents in relation to patent applications such as powers of attorney, deeds of assignment, etc. submitted to the NOIP previously imposed […]
DIVISIONAL APPLICATIONS IN INDIA: CLARIFICATION AND SUMMARY
In India, every patent application should form a “single invention concept” (and therefore amount to “one invention”). However, where a parent application contains multiple group of inventions and they do not form such a “single invention concept”, a divisional application is taken up. These applications are governed by several provisions, namely Sections 16, 10(5) and […]
TAFEP Was Fined $29,000 Over Data Breach
The Tripartite Alliance Limited (TAL), an organisation that oversees the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), was fined $29,000 for data breach due to an incident of data hacked and accessed in 2020. TAFEP handles clients’ employment system database as well as provides mediation and counsel in employment-related disputes. Over 12,000 individuals […]
A sea change in Singapore’s data privacy law
Singapore’s Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill 2020 was passed on November 2, 2020, following extensive public consultations between 2017 and 2020, and came into effect on February 1, 2021. The amendments to the PDPA bring about much-needed updates to align Singapore’s data privacy regime with international standards and best practices. The key amendments in the […]
INDIA- REGISTERING ‘N95’ AS A TRADE MARK TO ‘MASK’ MALAFIDE INTENT?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of N95 masks has proliferated exponentially. Research scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carried out studies and found the N95 masks to be the most effective at reducing the horizontal spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Indeed, the term N95 has now become commonplace. In that […]
New Regulation of Ministry of Law and Human Rights Amending the Previous Implementation Regulation for Trademark Law No. 20 of 2016
On 3 February 2021, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of Republic Indonesia issued an amended implementation regulation to support the provisions of the current Trademark Law No. 20 of 2016. This implementation regulation is No. 12 of 2021 (the “Regulation”) was issued to accelerate the timeline for prosecuting a trademark application. In Article […]