For the first time in the region, the Andean examination practice decisions for trade marks and designs are compiled in a repository that includes best practices from the four IP offices of the Andean Community (CAN) region, in relation to trade mark and design examination and the decisions of the Andean Tribunal of Justice when interpreting the operational application of Decision 486.

On 8 September 2021, IP Key China, together with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and with the support of the European Commission and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), organised a training course on the Coexistence of geographical indications and trade marks.

The EU-China cooperation on intellectual property rights (IPR) criminal enforcement builds on strong foundations, which have been reinforced over the years by IP Key China’s activities.

Today, the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (CAN) and IP Key LA, implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office, announced the launch of a technological tool that will allow users to access information on trade marks registered in the subregion.

The tool, referred to as the ‘CAN TMview’ system, will have a completely personalised, free, easy-to-navigate and user-friendly interface, implemented as part of the aforementioned cooperation project.

As of 28 July 2021, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) uses and accepts the list of terms from the harmonised database of goods and services (HDB) in TMclass.

Following IPOPHL’s decision to use HDB, there are now 17 IP offices outside the EU which use and accept terms from this database.

The addition of IPOPHL in TMclass brings the total number of participating national and regional IP offices, including ARIPO, OAPI, WIPO and EUIPO, to 85.

The European project, Intellectual Property Key Latin America (IP Key LA), in conjunction with INDECOPI (Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual), recently launched a study on the economic contribution of industrial property-intensive industries in Peru.