July 2011 Pakistan Restructures Official IP Related Fees Amendments to Macedonian Law on Civil Court Procedure in Force as of September 9 - PETOŠEVIĆ USPTO and Partner Offices Agree to Test New, Enhanced Framework for the PPH Universal Electronics Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Page 2 Page 2 Page 3 Page 3 Qatar to Accede to PCT DOHA - Qatar will become a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), a global protection treaty administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as from August 3, 2011, according to a press release by Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property. Well-informed sources at the Qatari Patent Office said they will need at least one year to arrange the procedure and the implementation of the national phase PCT applications in Qatar. At this stage, patents could be protected in Qatar through filing of GCC Patent since GCC patents provide protection for all the member states of the GCC Countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia in addition to the United Arab Emirates. Some sort of protection can be obtained through the publication of cautionary notices at regular intervals in local newspapers. Bahrain Offers Alternative Patent Grant Procedure MANAMA - Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property would like to inform its clients that the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Bahrain has issued the Ministerial Order No. (115) of 2011 on June 23, 2011 relating to registration procedures for patents in Bahrain. As per the said order, a patent may be issued in Bahrain on the basis of a foreign patent granted for the same invention in another member country of Paris Convention, provided that the applicant shall own an industrial or commercial entity in the Kingdom of Bahrain practicing an activity related to the patent subject. This Ministerial Order provides an alternative patent grant procedure in addition to the existing patent grant procedures in Bahrain. For further details please contact our office in Bahrain at: Bahrain@agip.com www.agip.com 1
Pakistan Restructures Official IP Related Fees KARACHI - would like to inform its clients that the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan has increased the official fees for all IP matters. In conformity with a circular issued by the Organization on July 6, 2011, the fees have been restructured as from June 4, 2011. Therefore, all official fees that AGIP has paid on behalf of its clients and associates since June 4, 2011 may be subject to pay the difference. We however, will intimate our clients and associates as soon as such requirement is raised by any of the IP offices. We are working on updating our charges and will be posted on the website. Amendments to Macedonian Law on Civil Court Procedure in Force as of September 9 PETOŠEVIĆ One of the changes concerns the information that the plaintiff must provide when filing the lawsuit. Before the amendments, the plaintiff had to provide only the name, address and state of incorporation. Once the amendments enter into force, the company registration number or value added tax (VAT) identification number would also need to be supplied. The amended law also enables the parties in a lawsuit to present their own expert evidence before the court. So far only the court was entitled to order expert evidence. The Ministry of Justice will publish an official list of expert witnesses soon. SKOPJE - The Macedonian Law on Civil Court Procedure has undergone certain changes, which will become effective on September 9, 2011. A few amendments affect intellectual property right owners potentially involved in civil court procedures in Macedonia. There is a change in the legal remedies as well. Up until now, there were no limitations for filing an appeal before the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia. Once the amendments enter into force, an appeal before the Supreme Court of the Republic of Macedonia can be filed only for intellectual property cases where money claims exceed approximately EUR 16,000 (USD 23,000). 2
USPTO and Partner Offices Agree to Test New, Enhanced Framework for the PPH WASHINGTON - The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced in a press release its participation in a pilot program to test an enhanced framework for the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH). basic PPH framework, including a new definition of claim correspondence, which will make the system more flexible and user-friendly without compromising efficiency or quality. The pilot, which will also include the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), Japan Patent Office (JPO), IPAustralia, National Board of Patents and Registration of Finland (NBPR), Federal Service on Intellectual Property, Patents & Trademarks of Russia (Rospatent), Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO) and United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), builds on the success of the current PPH by modifying certain requirements to make the PPH easier to use and more widely available to a greater number of applicants. Under the current PPH plan, eligibility is limited to reuse of search and examination results from a partner office on the first-filed, i.e., priority, application in a patent family. Under the enhanced PPH framework, participation may be requested on the basis of results available on any patent family member from any office participating in this pilot, regardless of whether it was the office where the priority application was filed. The pilot incorporates other improvements to the This new pilot is an important milestone in the evolution of the PPH network, said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos. The stakeholders in the global IP community have embraced PPH and have asked for more opportunities to use the program. This pilot will be a more user-friendly version with greater flexibility to eliminate duplicative work. The new pilot will commence on July 15, 2011, for a period of one year ending on July 14, 2012, but may be extended for up to one year or terminated earlier depending on volume of activity and other factors. The USPTO will provide notice of any adjustment in the trial period. Applicants are advised that PPH arrangements with offices not participating in this new pilot are not affected, and that work done by offices acting as Authorities under the Patent Cooperation Treaty ( PCT-PPH ) is not included in the pilot. Universal Electronics Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit CYPRESS, CA - Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) announced in a press release that it has filed a lawsuit against Logitech Inc., Logitech International S.A. and Logitech Europe S.A. in the United States District Court, Central District of California for infringement of seventeen of UEI s patents related to remote control technology. From July 1, 2004 until June 30, 2010, Logitech previously licensed certain of UEI s patented technologies under a renewable license. Prior to the expiration of the license, throughout the remainder of 2010 and until the filing of this complaint, UEI sought to negotiate reasonable business terms for the renewal of the license agreement but Logitech was not willing to do so. Meanwhile, Logitech continued selling its products that were previously covered under the license agreement without permission or proper payment, according to the lawsuit. The complaint relates to multiple Logitech remote control products, including the Harmony H300, H650, H700, H900, One, H1100, Logitech Revue (for Google TV), Harmony remote apps for ios and Android platforms, and other applications and/or programming for touch screen mobile devices. The decision to proceed with this patent infringement filing was based on careful consideration of all of the issues, explained Richard A. Firehammer Jr., UEI s senior vice president and general counsel. UEI has positive business relationships with much of the consumer electronics industry. Nevertheless, the decision was made to look to the court system to ensure that UEI is fairly compensated for the use of its technology. We are confident that the strength of our intellectual property will be upheld. Since its inception, UEI s staff of scientists and engineers have designed and developed innovative ideas in the remote control field. These technology innovations represent a significant investment for UEI and are protected by a substantial number of patents, patent applications, and trade secrets. At this time, UEI will not be providing further comment regarding this legal action while litigation is pending. The company will provide public updates as appropriate. Founded in 1986, Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) is the global leader in wireless control technology for the connected home. UEI designs, develops, and delivers innovative solutions that enable consumers to control entertainment devices, digital media, and home systems. The company s broad portfolio of patented technologies and database of infrared control software have been adopted by many Fortune 500 companies in the consumer electronics, subscription broadcast, and computing industries. UEI sells and licenses wireless control products through distributors and retailers under the One For All brand name. For additional information, please visit our website at www.uei.com. 3
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