Piracy has wrecked havoc on the economy of the Philippines, adversely affecting economic activity and stifling organized industry. While the Philippines remains in the Watch List of the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), the USTR has recognised the innovative and sustained efforts of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to undertake […]
Singapore – The Trek Case
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN SINGAPORE PATENT LAW Singapore has seen its first major patent case in a while with the judgment in Trek Technology (Singapore) Pte Ltd v FE Global Electronics Pte Ltd and Other Suits [2005] SGHC 90. The High Court here considered a patent infringement case and commented on various aspects of patent law […]
Thailand finally accedes to Paris Convention
Thailand ratified accession to the Paris Convention and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) on 10 January 2008. The legal instrument of accession to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was submitted to the WIPO on 2 May 2008, thus Thailand became bound by the Paris Convention on 2 August 2008, bringing the […]
Latest Developments in Vietnam IP Law
The Vietnamese government has actively taken measures to ensure that the country’s IP laws are effective. They have recognized the relationship between economic development and IP protection. In fact the economic development in Vietnam is one of the most progressive one in Southeast Asia in terms of percentage growth of the GDP. So these IP […]
Malaysian Courts hold that first use of a trademark an important factor in expungement proceedings
The Malaysian High Court, in Yong Sze Fan & Anor v Sharifah bt Mohd Tamin & 4 Ors [2008] 5 AMR 163 had an opportunity to consider an application for an order that a trademark registered by the Malaysian Trademark Registry be expunged (cancelled) from the Register under the provisions of the Malaysian Trade Marks […]
India – Ninth Edition Of Nice Classification Adopted
The Indian Trade Marks Rules 2002 were recently amended to adopt the Ninth Edition of Nice Classification, in order to align the trade mark laws in India with the international system. Additional service classes, namely, classes 43-45, have been added. The applicants are requested to bring their existing applications in compliance with the new classification. […]
Thailand – Claim Amendment under the Thai Patents Act
The scope of protection of an invention is defined by its patent claims in the patent. The applicant should therefore ensure that his invention is properly described and comprehensively claimed, in order for the applicant’s rights to be well protected. Consequently, the applicant shall take all necessary actions to amend the claim(s) in the earliest as […]
Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Programme between IPOS and JPO Extended
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) announced on 1 July 2010 to extend the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Pilot Programme between the two offices to 1 July 2011. This programme commenced on 1 July 2009 for a period of one year ending on 1 July 2010. IPOS expressed […]
A Product Formed by a Patented Process may not infringe a Patent in Singapore if the Resulting Product includes Supplemental Processing Steps
A patent provides a patent proprietor with the right to exclude others from utilizing the invention claimed in the patent. When the subject matter of the invention is a process, the patent will prevent others from using the process. Under the infringement provisions in the Singapore Patent Act, Section 66 (1)(b) provides that when a […]
Malaysia – “Electronic Coding Survey” Permissible Evidence?
On 09 February 2010, the High Court of Kuala Lumpur, in delivering the judgment for the case of LAM SOON EDIBLE SDN BHD Vs HUP SENG PERUSAHAAN MAKANAN (M) SDN BHD, provided essential features in respect of claims, which are made, based on filing a cancellation action for non – use particularly for Market Survey […]