Intellectual Property & Antitrust

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Intellectual Property & Antitrust GETTING THROUGH THE DEAL Intellectual Property & Antitrust Intellectual Property & Antitrust Intellectual Contributing editor Peter J Levitas 2019 2019 © 2018 Law Business Research Ltd Intellectual Property & Antitrust 2019 Contributing editor Peter J Levitas Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Reproduced with permission from Law Business Research Ltd This article was first published in December 2018 For further information please contact [email protected] Publisher Law The information provided in this publication is Tom Barnes general and may not apply in a specific situation. [email protected] Business Legal advice should always be sought before taking Research any legal action based on the information provided. Subscriptions This information is not intended to create, nor does Claire Bagnall Published by receipt of it constitute, a lawyer–client relationship. [email protected] Law Business Research Ltd The publishers and authors accept no responsibility 87 Lancaster Road for any acts or omissions contained herein. The Senior business development managers London, W11 1QQ, UK information provided was verified between October Adam Sargent Tel: +44 20 3780 4147 and November 2018. Be advised that this is a [email protected] Fax: +44 20 7229 6910 developing area. Dan White © Law Business Research Ltd 2018 [email protected] No photocopying without a CLA licence. Printed and distributed by First published 2007 Encompass Print Solutions Thirteenth edition Tel: 0844 2480 112 ISBN 978-1-78915-034-6 © 2018 Law Business Research Ltd CONTENTS Global overview 5 Japan 44 Peter J Levitas and Matthew A Tabas Yusuke Nakano and Atsushi Yamada Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Anderson Mōri & Tomotsune China 7 Korea 51 Zhan Hao, Song Ying and Stephanie (Yuanyuan) Wu Hui Jin Yang and Jung Hyun Uhm AnJie Law Firm Lee & Ko France 14 Mexico 57 Emmanuel Schulte Israel Pérez Correa and Hugo H Zapata Bersay & Associés Pérez Correa & Asociados Germany 22 Switzerland 63 Philipp Rastemborski Daniel Emch and Nicolas Mosimann Meissner Bolte Kellerhals Carrard India 28 United Kingdom 70 Hemant Singh John Schmidt, Richard Dickinson, Zeno Frediani Inttl Advocare and Kathy Harford Arnold & Porter Italy 36 Veronica Pinotti and Martino Sforza United States 76 White & Case Lisa Kimmel and Kate M Watkins Crowell & Moring, LLP 2 Getting the Deal Through – Intellectual Property & Antitrust 2019 © 2018 Law Business Research Ltd PREFACE Preface Intellectual Property & Antitrust 2019 Thirteenth edition Getting the Deal Through is delighted to publish the thirteenth edition of Intellectual Property & Antitrust, which is available in print, as an e-book, and online at www.gettingthedealthrough.com. Getting the Deal Through provides international expert analysis in key areas of law, practice and regulation for corporate counsel, cross- border legal practitioners, and company directors and officers. Throughout this edition, and following the unique Getting the Deal Through format, the same key questions are answered by leading practitioners in each of the jurisdictions featured. Getting the Deal Through titles are published annually in print. Please ensure you are referring to the latest edition or to the online version at www.gettingthedealthrough.com. Every effort has been made to cover all matters of concern to readers. However, specific legal advice should always be sought from experienced local advisers. Getting the Deal Through gratefully acknowledges the efforts of all the contributors to this volume, who were chosen for their recognised expertise. We also extend special thanks to the contributing editors, Peter J Levitas of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, for his continued assistance with this volume. London November 2018 www.gettingthedealthrough.com 3 © 2018 Law Business Research Ltd UNITED KINGDOM Arnold & Porter United Kingdom John Schmidt, Richard Dickinson, Zeno Frediani and Kathy Harford Arnold & Porter Intellectual property 2 Responsible authorities 1 Intellectual property law Which authorities are responsible for granting, administering or enforcing IP rights? Under what statutes, regulations or case law are intellectual property rights granted? Are there restrictions on how IP The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is responsible for the grant rights may be enforced, licensed or otherwise transferred? and administration of UK patents, trademarks, and registered designs. Do the rights exceed the minimum required by the WTO The European Patent Office is responsible for the prosecution (includ- Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property ing post-grant opposition) of European patents. The EU Intellectual Property Office is responsible for the grant and administration of EU Rights (TRIPs)? trademarks and registered Community designs. IP rights in the UK are protected by a combination of UK and EU legis- The Trading Standards Authorities play a role in investigating IP lation and UK common law. infringement and conducting prosecutions for criminal IP enforce- Patents are protected under the UK Patents Act 1977, and substan- ment, and the UK customs and border authorities can take action to tive national patent law across Europe has been partially harmonised assist in IP enforcement, but IP enforcement is primarily via civil litiga- by the European Patent Convention 1973. Patent protection lasts for 20 tion in the courts. years, and can be extended for medicinal and plant protection prod- ucts by a supplementary protection certificate by up to five-and-a-half 3 Proceedings to enforce IP rights years, under EU Regulation 469/2009 (for medicinal products) and What types of legal or administrative proceedings are Regulation 1610/2009 (for plant protection products). available for enforcing IP rights? To the extent your Registered trademarks are protected under the UK Trade Marks Act 1994 and EU Regulation 2017/2001 (the EUTM Regulation). jurisdiction has both legal and administrative enforcement Unregistered trademarks, including the overall ‘get-up’ of a prod- options for IP rights, briefly describe their interrelationship, uct or service, are protected by case law under the tort of passing off. if any. Protection for both registered and unregistered trademarks can last IP rights are primarily enforced in the UK via civil court proceedings, indefinitely; registered trademarks must be periodically renewed. and the English High Court is the most common venue. IP proceedings Registered and unregistered designs are protected under the UK in the English High Court are heard in the Chancery Division, and dif- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA) and Registered ferent specialist lists are available: Designs Act 1949, and EU Regulation 6/2002 (the Community Designs • the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) can hear any IP Regulation). The duration of protection varies from three to 25 years, claim of relatively low complexity and value: the IPEC is generally depending on the nature of the right. suitable for claims which can be tried in two days or less, damages Copyright protection is governed by the UK CDPA, and specific are capped at £500,000 and recoverable legal costs are subject to aspects of copyright law have been (and continue to be) harmonised by a cap of £50,000; a number of EU Directives. The duration of copyright protection var- • the Patents Court can hear claims relating to patents, registered ies, depending on the nature of the work; literary, dramatic, musical designs, semiconductor topography rights and plant varieties. and artistic works are protected for 70 years from the end of the year in There is no cap on damages or recoverable legal costs; and which the author dies. • all other IP claims can be heard in the Intellectual Property List of Databases are protected as copyright works under the CDPA, the Chancery Division, of which the Patents Court and IPEC are and by sui generis database right under Directive 96/9 (the Database sub-lists. Directive) as implemented by the CDPA. Copyright in a database lasts for 70 years, and sui generis database right for 15 years. Decisions of the English High Court can be appealed (with permission) Trade secrets are protected by the common law of breach of con- to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the UK courts can fidence, and the UK has enacted legislation to implement the Trade refer questions of EU law to the Court of Justice of the European Union. Secrets Directive (2016/244). The UK IPO offers a mediation service, which can mediate The enforcement of IP rights across Europe has been harmonised infringement disputes relating to all types of IP, and can also provide a to some extent by Directive 2004/48 (the Enforcement Directive). In non-binding opinion on infringement of a patent or supplementary cer- addition to restrictions arising out of competition law, key restrictions tificate. However, the IPO cannot make a binding decision on infringe- on the ability to enforce IP rights include the risk of incurring liability ment of any IP right. for groundless threats of IP infringement, the law of which has been sig- nificantly reformed in the UK by the Intellectual Property (Unjustified 4 Remedies Threats) Act 2017, and specific defences to infringement and restric- tions on available remedies for each right. The formalities for assign- What remedies are available to a party whose IP rights ments and licences, and the effect of failing to register a transaction have been
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