According to a 14 July 2026 report by Spoor & Fisher, the Kenya IP Authority Bill, 2026 has been introduced in the National Assembly. It proposes merging the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI), the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) and the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) into a single Kenya Intellectual Property Authority (KIPA), bringing patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright and anti-counterfeiting functions under one institutional framework. The bill also addresses mandatory IP recordation for imports, definitions for AI-assisted and AI-generated inventions, and a...

US enforcement around “Made in America” and “Made in USA” claims is becoming harder to treat as a routine advertising issue. Following the White House’s March executive order, the FTC has sharpened its attention on misleading origin claims, while the USPTO context also points to closer scrutiny where such language appears in marks, product descriptions and brand messaging. The practical risk is simple: a patriotic phrase can become a compliance problem if the manufacturing facts do not support it.Companies using US-origin claims should review them before they reach trademark filings,...

A USPTO decision disclosed on 3 May tightens the link between inter partes review and ex parte reexamination. The key point is the timing of estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(1): a request for reexamination is not treated merely as a filing made on a particular day, but as a pending request that continues until the Office orders reexamination under 35 U.S.C. § 304.That reading narrows a familiar strategy: challenge the patent first through IPR, then use ex parte reexamination as a second route if the IPR record begins to look unfavourable. If the IPR final written decision has already...

Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) is opening the second phase of its trademark fast-track programme from May 2026, with 3,000 places available across the year. For applicants that need a registration quickly for platform access, public funding, dispute handling or international portfolio coordination, the programme may become a practical timing tool rather than a procedural formality.The reform also changes how High Reputation Marks can be handled in Brazil. Under the rule effective from 1 May, an applicant may link registration numbers in several classes within a...

Mexico’s amended Federal Law for the Protection of Industrial Property has turned ambush marketing into a more immediate compliance issue for brands planning campaigns around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The reform published on 3 April adds a specific administrative infringement to Article 386 of the LFPPI, covering acts that lead the public to reasonably assume an official sponsorship relationship between a distinctive sign and a mass public or private event.For non-sponsors, the risk now extends beyond unauthorised use of official logos. Social media copy, promotional hashtags, colour...

The UAE government’s 1 May 2026 update on intellectual property enforcement puts online infringement in sharper focus. Look-alike packaging on social media and e-commerce platforms, unauthorised use of product images, and fake brand accounts are now framed as issues for faster takedown action and administrative penalties, with telecom regulators expected to support a more coordinated response.The second message is practical: customs and police cooperation is becoming more evidence-driven. Dubai Customs and law enforcement are tightening the chain of evidence across import, storage and...

Following World IP Day on 26 April, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has formally released guidance on enforcement for sports event broadcasts and related merchandise. The practical point is clear: illegal live streaming is now being treated as a time-sensitive copyright enforcement problem, with right holders expected to use pre-filed information to seek temporary blocking of specific infringing domains.For sports brands and content distributors, the value lies less in a new slogan and more in timing. A pirated match stream can capture its audience within...

South Korea’s Ministry of Intellectual Property (MOIP, formerly KIPO) announced on 29 June 2026 that it was reorganising and expanding its response to technology leakage, with the new structure taking effect on 30 June. A dedicated Technology Leakage Special Judicial Police Division will now handle trade secret theft and leakage involving strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors, separating those investigations from routine patent and design infringement work. The technology police workforce is being increased from 27 to 61, with specialist investigators, patent...

On 15 July 2026, as the 68th WIPO Assemblies in Geneva reviewed the work of the Advisory Committee on Enforcement (ACE), the African Group placed generative-AI infringement, online piracy and digital counterfeiting among the enforcement gaps most exposed by fast-moving technologies. Its statement called for more targeted WIPO technical assistance and capacity building for African digital markets, intellectual property offices and enforcement authorities, arguing that legal tools, platform cooperation and digital-evidence capabilities have not kept pace with the scale and speed of online...

On 6 July 2026, the Casablanca Commercial Court issued two rulings barring Tecno Mobile and Itel Mobility, subsidiaries of Transsion Holdings, from selling smartphones in Morocco that were found to infringe Ericsson’s 4G and 5G cellular standard-essential patents. The decisions are being described as Africa’s first SEP injunctions, reached roughly six months after Ericsson filed suit in December 2025.The immediate commercial effect was overtaken by a subsequent settlement: on 8 July, Ericsson and Transsion announced a multi-year global patent cross-licence and agreed to withdraw their...

A 14 July analysis by Lewis Silkin offers one of the clearest practical summaries to date of the Unified Patent Court’s fee framework. The basic rule is that the unsuccessful party bears the other side’s reasonable and proportionate costs, although the Court may adjust the allocation on fairness grounds. Fixed court fees are €14,600 for infringement actions, €26,500 for revocation actions and €300 for protective letters, with additional value-based fees once the amount in dispute exceeds €500,000. Even where several patentees or defendants are involved, the fixed fee is generally charged...

According to an update published by Adams & Adams on 16 July 2026, Libya’s Commercial Registry Authority has resumed electronic publication of trademark notices through its official website. The 2026 electronic trademark gazette was issued on 14 May and covers applications numbered 55261 to 57597. Third parties may file oppositions online within 30 days of publication. Gazette publication had previously been suspended for an extended period, leaving the opposition process effectively stalled.The restart restores an important procedural checkpoint for applicants and rights holders, but the...

According to an update published by Adams & Adams on 16 July 2026, Sudan’s Intellectual Property Administrative Registrar has resumed strict application of section 19(3) of the Trade Marks Act 1969. A registration may now be renewed only within the statutory six-month grace period following expiry, subject to the applicable late fee. Renewal requests filed after that period will no longer be accepted. The more flexible practice adopted during conflict-related operational disruption has therefore come to an end.The change removes much of the room for retrospective correction. Owners of...

Singapore’s Intellectual Property Office (IPOS) has refined its practice guidance for trade mark applications covering virtual goods and Web3.0 services. Descriptions in Class 9 for downloadable virtual goods, Class 35 for retail services involving virtual goods, and Class 41 for virtual entertainment services are expected to identify the digital content or service with greater precision; broad wording such as “virtual goods” or generic NFT-related services may attract objections or require narrowing.The more consequential point concerns revocation for five years’ non-use. Displaying a...

On 3 June 2026, the Paris Judicial Court ruled in a dispute brought by Hermès International and Hermès Sellier against Le Bidon Français, a French gallery operator. The defendant displayed and sold decorative objects—including crushed cans, trays and fire extinguishers—bearing Hermès word and figurative marks, while also using the Hermès name in product listings and social-media promotion. The court found that the signs were being used to market and sell goods, amounting to trademark infringement, and also upheld Hermès Sellier’s unfair competition claim.The ruling does not say that...

Recent EU trademark decisions confirm that the public’s level of attention is only one element in the global assessment of likelihood of confusion, not a switch that determines the outcome by itself. In Kutxabank v EUIPO – Klarna Bank (K.) (T‑105/25, 13 May 2026), the General Court showed that confusion may still arise among a highly attentive public where the services are identical and the signs are strongly similar visually and identical phonetically. Conversely, greater attention can sharpen distinctions where the goods or services are more remote or the overall differences between the...

On 30 July 2026, UAE legal practitioners issued updated brand-protection guidance that shifts the focus from obtaining a trademark certificate to building an enforcement system around it. Registration with the Ministry of Economy remains the legal foundation, but the guidance stresses that it may not be enough against counterfeit imports, unauthorised marketplace sellers and rapidly changing digital listings. Rights holders are therefore encouraged to record their marks with customs authorities across the relevant emirates and to use the official registration certificate to enrol in tools...

A development reported on 30 July 2026 indicates that Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) and Customs Department have completed a new digital upgrade to the country’s customs IP recordation framework. The shift is aimed less at conventional container inspections and more at postal parcels and express-delivery channels, with partial logistics-data alerts reportedly linked to platforms such as Lazada and Shopee and AI-assisted screening used to flag suspected counterfeit goods and pirated merchandise.The operational value of the upgrade will depend on the quality of...

Congress has approved H.R. 6500, extending the USPTO's America Invents Act fee-setting authority through 11 December 2026. Without congressional action, that authority would have expired after 15 September. The short extension removes the immediate risk of a statutory gap and gives lawmakers several more months to decide whether the Office should retain longer-term flexibility to set patent and trademark fees.The more consequential issue is what Congress may demand in return. At a 2 September House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, lawmakers and witnesses tied the renewal debate to the Patent...

As of 1 March 2026, ARIPO’s major amendments to the Banjul Protocol framework have entered into force, reshaping how regional trademark filings will be budgeted, timed and managed. The most visible change is financial: the e-filing application fee has increased from USD 80 to USD 160, the paper filing fee from USD 100 to USD 200, the registration fee for each designated member state from USD 100 to USD 150, and the renewal fee from USD 100 to USD 200 per designated state. But the reform is not only about higher charges. The new rules also introduce updated forms and a more structured...