EPO President welcomes UK decision to ratify UPC Agreement

One of the last steps towards the establishment of a single patent court for Europe, and with it the entire unitary patent regime, was taken on 28 November 2016. The Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPC) will be ratified by the United Kingdom, according to a statement by UK Minister for IP, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, at the EU Competitiveness Council in Brussels. Her clarification was welcomed by the European Commission, the EU Member States and the EPO and many in the IP community, following months of uncertainty after the UK voted to leave the EU on 23 June 2016.

Read more at: http://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2016/20161129.html

Brazil to Join Trademark Treaty, Large Translation Volumes Expected

Brazil plans to join treaty members Japan (2000), the US (2003), the EU (2004), and many others by acceding to the Madrid Protocol. This was announced by Brazilian Foreign Trade Minister Marcos Pereira during his meeting with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry on November 23, 2016. The question is, how soon. Pereira estimates by the middle of 2018.

Read more at: https://slator.com/demand-drivers/brazil-to-join-tra