IP Management
The Olympic struggle to guard sponsors’ brands during the 2012 Games
Leading brands have staked considerable financial investments in becoming official Olympics sponsors. But, in a media environment where competitors are keen to latch on to the sports craze, can the ex....  »
Non-practising entities drive patent suit defence costs to $29bn, says study
Patent portfolio holding companies are damaging SME finances, according to a major law school – but the leader of one such company argues they are making a valuable contribution...  »
Patent pugilism: historic squabbles over standards and status
History is peppered with rivalries between inventors, but the best ones are those that decide the future of entire infrastructures. Matt Packer charts the stories behind those momentous struggles...  »
Auction of major Kodak patent portfolios cleared at Bankruptcy Court
Ruling splits off sale of patent holdings from final stages of ownership dispute, as photography giant continues to weather financial difficulties...  »
Sound R&D policies help France, Switzerland and Germany to weather economic woes
Matt Packer examines the research and development programmes of three European nations, in light of their strong results on international patent filings...  »
ICANN’s grand domains reveal: the trends behind the fanfare
Global authority’s outgoing president and CEO Rod Beckstrom has at last announced the list of applicants for new domain suffixes. Matt Packer combs the details for themes that have special interest ....  »
‘Birmingham balti’ stamp to spice up dish distinctiveness
Bid to curry favour with European authenticators looks set to serve up victory for fiery food fanatics...  »
When is a handle not a handle?
With understanding of the divisions between 2D marks and 3D technical features balanced on a knife-edge, Europe’s General Court has provided a clear-cut ruling, writes Matt Packer...  »
European companies face mounting pressure on their own doorstep
While a cursory glance at the latest patent filing statistics for Europe show a steady increase in the region, the devil is in the detail – for the number of European companies filing in Europe is i....  »
US IP: the five-trillion dollar industry
Commerce group puts high valuation on intellectual assets generated by American companies – and hails the positive implications for jobs ...  »