world intellectual property organization (wipo) Archives - Blog | Trademarkmaldives

Kashmir Seeks Geographical Indication (GI) Tags for Five of its Crafts

The northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, Kashmir, is seeking Geographical Indication (GI) tags under the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) for five of its crafts, some of which also include its cultural makers.

The Government of Kashmir has stated that it is seeking GI Registration for Kashmir Gabba and Namda (02 types of Valley-specific woolen rugs), Kashmir Willow Bat, Shikara (pleasure boats on Dal Lake), and Wagguv (mat made of reed and paddy straw).

In a recent statement delivered, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) said that Mr. Tariq Ahmad Zargar (the Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom, Kashmir) held a detailed discussion with the authorities of Intellectual Property India (IPI) in Chennai to accelerate the GI registration process of the five crafts in question. The DIPR further said that the dossier for the GI registration of the five crafts has already been submitted to the IPI in Chennai, which is the apex-level organization dealing with the registration and better protection of GIs concerning goods in India.

GI, in the words of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), refers to a sign used on products having a particular geographical origin and possessing qualities or a reputation due to that origin. Remember that the product’s reputation, characteristics, or qualities should be specifically due to the place of origin.

Discussions regarding the GI submission of three more products of Valley, including willow wicker, copperware, and chain stitch crafts, were also held, which are already under consideration by the department for GI registration.

In this context, the Government mentioned that GI tagging has now acquired a greater significance and relevance since the focus has shifted towards Vocal for Local.

Seven handicrafts made in Kashmir, including Pashmina, Kani Shawl, Paper-Machie, Khatamband, Walnut Wood Carving, Sozni, and Hand Knotted Carpets crafts, have already been given the GI tag by the body. The Government has specified that it has even pushed the demand for the production and sale of the previously-mentioned products. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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India Stays Among Challenging Economies Concerning IP Protection, Says USTR

India remains among the most challenging economies worldwide concerning the protection, management, and enforcement of Intellectual Property (IP). The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said the same in a recent report as it decided to retain the nation on the Priority Watch List 2022.

The USTR designated seven nations, including Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela, on the Priority Watch List under its 2022 Special 301 Report.

The USTR mentioned that Ukraine’s review has been suspended, keeping in mind the unprovoked and premeditated invasion of the nation.

In one of the sections of the report dedicated to India, the USTR said that the nation has remained at odds with its progress on the protection, management, and enforcement of IP. It further stated that although India made significant progress in some areas over the past year to promote IP protection, management, and enforcement, it couldn’t resolve the recent and long-standing challenges and created new matters of concern for the rights holders.

The report even specified that India’s accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, together known as the WIPO Internet Treaties, in 2018 and the Nice Agreement in 2019 were undoubtedly positive steps towards the ultimate path of IP Protection.

On the contrary, the USTR mentioned that the potential threats of narrow patentability criteria, lack of presumption of patent validity, and patent revocations under the Indian Patents Act affect business companies and brands across different industries.

The USTR stated that in spite of India’s repeated justifications for limiting the IP protection as a way to encourage and promote access to technologies, the nation imposes pretty high customs duties on IP-intensive products, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, solar energy equipment, information & communication technology products, and capital goods.

The USTR also said that it is continuing to monitor closely the restriction on the patent-eligible subject matter under Section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act and its impact specifically on the pharmaceutical industry.

The report even mentioned that pharmaceutical stakeholders also express their concerns and issues time and again as to whether India has an efficient mechanism for the early resolution of potential patent disputes and lawsuits, specifically the shortcomings in notifying interested parties about marketing approvals. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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Samsung Files Patent for Hybrid Smartphone Design Capable of Folding & Sliding

As per various recent reports, the South Korean multinational corporation – Samsung is presently working on a hybrid smartphone design that can both roll and fold. The tech giant has filed a Patent Application for the same with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and it dates back to this year in June. The new hybrid smartphone design comprises both folding and rolling mechanisms. Samsung is already manufacturing foldable smartphones like Galaxy Z Flip3 and Fold3, both of which are readily available in the market. However, the corporation has not yet come up with a rollable smartphone.

Although many other companies and tech giants, in particular, have filed patent applications for rollable and foldable smartphones, Samsung is the first to file a patent application for a smartphone that is both rollable and foldable at the same time. As per the pictures that were spotted in the publication, the patent application depicts a smartphone with a rollable screen. What seems like is the smartphone is designed to roll out first and then fold in half.

According to what’s specified in the patent application, the design of this hybrid smartphone is defined as an electronic device that could conveniently carry out folding and sliding operations. The display screen can conveniently be slid to increase the size and folded at an angle. For making such a design functional, the smartphone shall consist of a hinge, used for folding, and a motor, used for sliding. These two mechanisms already exist individually in other smartphones available in the market. Along with this new patent, the tech giant is rumored to come up with its Flip4 and Fold4 devices during the third quarter of next year.

Currently, Samsung is one of the few companies that hold expertise in manufacturing fully-functional, real-life foldable smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 and Fold3 are considered the best-selling foldable smartphones across the globe. For manufacturing a smartphone with folding capabilities, the tech giant had to experiment a lot with different display materials and types. It did struggle to a great extent initially as its Galaxy Fold didn’t have a stable design, but now the company has improved immensely in this aspect.

Also, Samsung might be looking forward to incorporating curved screen technology into its smartwatches. The tech giant filed a new patent application this year on 2^nd June with WIPO, covering the design of a smartwatch with a camera and rollable display. The application consists of 96 pages full of information and design plans for a rollable smartwatch. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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Intellectual Property Filings Improve Globally Despite Covid-19 Pandemic

At the global level, Intellectual Property (IP) filings, including trademarks, patents, and industrial designs, rebounded last year (as per the latest data presented by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), thereby indicating the resilience of human innovation and creation despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the contrary, the filing activity of both patent and Trademark Applications during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 (the Great Recession) had contracted sharply.

As per the World Intellectual Property Indicators report (compiling new data from 150 national and regional authorities), the trademark filing activity rose by 13.7% globally, patents by 1.6%, and industrial designs by 2%.

India has shown a pretty decent improvement in filings related to IP, with higher applications in trademarks (over 15%) and patents (10%), specifically driven by the ones filed in the pharmaceutical sector in 2020.

In 2020, the IP Office in China recorded the highest number of trademark applications. Also, India left behind Japan to secure the 5^th position in terms of trademark filing activity.

The ultimate factor influencing such strong growth in the global trademark filing activity is the robust growth in products and services related to pharmaceuticals, surgical, dental, and medical goods, and advertising and business management.

Concerning pharmaceuticals, the number of filings increased from 4.1% in 2019 to 4.6% in 2020, while those of surgical, medical, and dental goods increased from 1.5% to 2.3%. Such trends were mirrored by some nations that saw significant increases in their respective trademark filing activities. For instance, India’s near about 15.4% growth in its trademark filing activity was driven majorly by the applications filed in the pharmaceutical sXctor.

Furthermore, global patent filing activity returned to growth last year after experiencing the first dip in a decade in 2019 due to a decline in China. In 2020, the IP office in China reported 1.5 million Patent Applications, followed by the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the European Patent Office (EPO). These five offices, together, accounted for 85.1% of the patent applications filed throughout the world.

Among the top ten IP offices, only three nations, including the Republic of Korea (3.6%), India (5.9%), and China (6.9%), recorded growth in the applications filed in 2020.

The Director-General at WIPO, Daren Tang, expressed his views on the strong growth in trademark filings (in particular) in 2020. He said that the double-digit growth in the trademark filing activity shows how enterprises worldwide have brought new products and services to the market despite the massive economic shook.

It is interesting to note that IP’s center of gravity has now shifted to Asia, considering the number of applications filed from the region as per the latest data recorded by WIPO. A decade ago, half of the overall ten IP-related applications were filed in Asia, and, in 2020, this number went close to seven. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com

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Singaporean Daren Tang Becomes the New Director-General at WIPO

Mr. Daren Tang from Singapore has now officially become the Director-General at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Mr. Tang, at present, is the Chief Executive at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). He will now helm WIPO, which is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN) for a term of six years starting from 1st October 2020.

It is the first time in history when a person from Singapore is going to lead a UN agency. Moreover, Mr. Tang is now the first Director-General at WIPO from Asia.

The confirmation for the post of the Director-General comes after Mr. Tang had officially won the nomination for the position in Geneva by beating five other candidates.

In their joint release, the Ministry of Law and IPOS stated that with this new appointment, Mr. Tang shall now relinquish his role as the Chief Executive at the IPOS. The two bodies further said that during his time at the IPOS, Mr. Tang successfully and strategically drove the transformation of the statutory board from an IP regulator and registry to an innovative and creative agency for building the future economy of Singapore.

Dr. Stanley Lai, the Chairman of the IPOS board, and Edwin Tong, the Senior Minister of State for Law, congratulated Mr. Tang on becoming the first Singaporean to lead a UN agency as the Director-General at WIPO. They also said that it is indeed a momentous occasion for Singapore.

Mr. Tang, in his acceptance speech, talked about the global challenges faced by people in the present era, which include the deeper forces of parochialism and unilateralism. He urged the member states to respond to the same by working closely together through a mutual and global effort. He outlined his plans for WIPO by expressing the need to build a balanced, inclusive, forward-looking, and vibrant global ecosystem for Intellectual Property (IP), while paying due attention to the countries that require more assistance and guidance. He further said that there is a dire need to work well with the IP offices all around the world for supporting stakeholders, startups, enterprises, creators, and artists within countries. According to Mr. Tang, WIPO must look forward to expanding the global perspective of IP beyond the technical aspects and become a driver of economic growth, a supporter of entrepreneurs, and a promoter of social vibrancy. He also noted that WIPO should leverage its role as a professional, neutral, and global agency so that the IP offices can conveniently come up to discuss their challenges and share the best practices. He mentioned some other priorities as well for making better operational decisions at WIPO and improving the overall international registration system for Intellectual Property Protection.

In the end, he thanked the Government of Singapore, the chair of WIPO’s assembly, the chair of the coordination committee, and all the member states for their immense support, trust, and loyalty. For more visit: https://www.trademarkmaldives.com