Category: News

In the latest Patent Lawyer Magazine (Sept./Oct. 2020), our head of patents and patent attorney specializing in life science, medicine and chemistry sectors, Magdalena Tagowska reviews the last 16 years of Supplementary Protection Certificates in Poland.

The full article is available ONLINE. Enjoy reading!

A Patpol and Patpol Legal running team composed of: Aleksandra Sołyga-Żurek, Anna Wiśniewska, Dariusz Piróg, Piotr Jeżółkowski and Andrzej Krajewski – PATPOL IP RUNNERS, once again participated in POLAND BUSINESS RUN, the largest nationwide charity relay.

This year’s runners goal was to support at least 55 people with locomotor disabilities.

Thank you and congratulations on a good result!

Last Saturday, nearly 8,000 runners from over 550 companies united in a common sports passion and a noble goal during the Company Run 2020.

We are pleased to announce that the fastest runners from our law firm – PATPOL IP RUNNERS team, also stood at the starting line and inaugurated the season of this year’s charity running competition!

Each of the runners covered 5 km of run. The proceeds from the run were donated to the Everest Foundation. Congratulations to our runners: Aleksandra Sołyga-Żurek, Dariusz Piróg, Andrzej Krajewski, Piotr Lewandowski and (running on Crete Island) Piotr Jeżółkowski.

The rankings of the most influential women in the IP world has been prepared for the second time by the international industry publisher World IP Review. Izabella Dudek-Urbanowicz, managing director of Patpol, is one of two women from Poland, which were selected for this ranking.

Izabella Dudek-Urbanowicz is a European and Polish patent attorney with a rich professional experience. She specializes in trademark and industrial design law. She represents Polish and international clients before the Polish Patent Office, as well as before the EU Intellectual Property Office. “I am very happy about this personal recognition. It is proof to me that I have chosen the right path for professional development as well as the development of Patpol business. This is also a motivation for even a harder work for our clients.” –  said Izabella Dudek-Urbanowicz.

As the managing director of Patpol she is responsible for implementing the company’s strategy focused on people and innovation and the team management of over 80 specialists. She is a member of industry organizations including International Trademarks Association, MARQUES, Pharmaceutical Trademarks Group and European Communities Trade Mark Association.

The IP law firm Patpol has been awarded in the latest IAM Patent 1000 ranking – the World’s Leading Patent Professionals, one of the most important rankings in the industry focused on intellectual property protection, in particular on legal protection of inventions (patent prosecution). In addition, the IP law firm’s experts have been awarded in the individual category.

According to the ranking: IAM Patent 1000 – the World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2020 prepared by Intellectual Assets Management magazine published by the British publishing house IP Media Group, Patpol has been once again recognized by being among companies whose services are recommended as far as patents advisory is concerned.

In addition, Patpol’s experts, Dr. Magdalena Tagowska and Dr. Dariusz Świerczyński and Dariusz Piróg from Patpol Legal were awarded in the individual category as the best specialists in Poland, dealing with the legal protection of inventions, as well as patent litigation.

Dr. Magdalena Tagowska, head of the patent team at Patpol, has been building her reputation for years as a specialist in difficult cases that require both extensive experience and specialist knowledge in many areas including chemistry, biology, medicine and pharmacy.

This year’s recognition is not the first one of Mrs Magdalena’s achievements, and she is also joined by Dariusz Świerczyński and Dariusz Piróg.

Dr. Dariusz Świerczyński specializes in proceedings before the Polish Patent Office; and is the expert in mechanics related inventions. Dariusz Piróg specializes in intellectual property law, unfair competition and IP litigation.

The IAM Patent 1000 – the World’s Leading Patent Professionals ranking was developed on the basis of research and interviews conducted with representatives of leading companies from the IP industry and coo perating companies.

The issue of what a trademark is and its legal definition was already discussed in the previous parts of this series. Now, let us have a closer look at yet another kind of unconventional trademarks (apart from the most popular ones, such as word, word-figurative or figurative marks) – a sound trademark. A sound trademark is a mark which consists exclusively of a sound, or a combination of sounds.

This kind of trademark shall be presented in the form of an audio file, or by expressing the sound by means of a musical notation – namely, musical notes (including all the necessary elements for a proper interpretation of the tune: tone, tempo, text), or a soundtrack recording presented in the form of an oscillogram.

In the case of electronic applications for sound trademarks expressed in the form of a musical notation or an oscillogram, it is required that a musical notation or an oscillogram is filed in one JPEG file, on one page.

As regards paper applications for sound trademarks, an application for registration should include a musical notation or an oscillogram placed upon one print in the size not smaller than 8 cm by 8 cm, and not bigger than 10 cm by 10 cm, or upon one A4 sheet.

Here is an example of a sound trademark presented as a musical notation:

R.171836

For the above mentioned trademark the Polish Patent Office granted a right of protection under no. R.171836 in the name of RADIO MUZYKA FAKTY GRUPA RMF sp. z o. o. sp. k. from Cracow (a popular radio station), and the mark was destined for goods and services in classes 09, 16, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, such as “information processing apparatus, loudspeakers, computers, magazines; services in the field of radio, television and cinema advertising, information agency services, printshop services, edition of radio and TV programs, snack bar services and hotel services.” Below there is an example of a sound trademark presented in the form of an oscillogram. The mark was registered by EUIPO under no. EUTM-012438628 in the name of TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION in respect of goods and services in classes 09, 38 and 42, including among others “scientific, nautical, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signaling, checking (supervision), life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus and instruments for conducting, switching, transforming, accumulating, regulating or controlling electricity; apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; telecommunication services; radio broadcasting services; television broadcasting services; podcasting services; computer services in the field of providing on-line news and information via the Internet; designing, constructing, updating and/or maintaining on-line databases and search engines; designing, constructing, updating and/or maintaining on-line directories, databases, and search engines for obtaining data on a wide variety of topics and fields; hosting of digital content on the Internet; application service provider; designing, constructing, updating and/or maintaining on-line journals and blogs; design and development of computer hardware and software.”

An example of a sound trademark written with an oscillogram:

EUTM 012438628

Read the full article on IP-BLOG.

The changes in the judicial system concerning intellectual property matters have been widely discussed for long. A draft of the relevant act, which initially seemed to be the issue of the remote future, will be coming into effect fairly soon.

The act is a response to many postulated proposals of introduction into the Polish judicial system of specialized courts to handle intellectual property matters. The number of disputes over intellectual property is continuously growing, and they cover a broad range of issues to be resolved. Therefore, on 13th February 2020, the Polish Parliament passed the Act on Amendment of the Civil Procedure Code, including an amendment to a number of other Laws. The Act will come into effect on 1st July 2020.

The intention of the draft Act was to create separate organizational units within the common judicial system, which would handle the cases in the field of copyrights and related rights, intellectual property and unfair competition.

Read the full article on IP-BLOG.

In the latest IP Stars 2020 ranking recognizing the best IP law firms in terms of experience and professionalism in trademark prosecution, Patpol took the highest position as Tier 1 Firm (Trade Mark Prosecution 2020).

We are honored to be listed in this significant ranking for the last few consecutive years.

We are also pleased to announce that the same organization, Managing IP – has also distinguished our experts in the recently published IP Stars 2020 ranking for individual IP practitioners. The recognized individuals are: Izabella Dudek-Urbanowicz, managing director of Patpol, and head of the trademarks and industrial designs department (category: trademarks) and Magdalena Tagowska, Ph.D. – head of the patents department at Patpol (category: patents).

Both practitioners have extensive practical experience in representing clients in their IP portfolios protection for both Polish and foreign companies as well as research and educational institutions.

IP Stars is a leading specialist guide for law firms and lawyers dealing with intellectual property rights around the world. The guide began in 1994. IP Stars research covers various areas of IP practice in over 70 jurisdictions, making it the most comprehensive and widely respected guide on intellectual property in the legal profession.

The previous article presented an informational claim, including its genesis and the previous regulation in the Industrial Property Law dated 30th June 2000 (hereinafter referred to as: “IPL”). Today’s article will be devoted to the amendment of the IPL, which has been in force since 27th February 2020 and has changed the regulation of the informational claim in title.

First of all, the amended IPL separated the claims for securing evidence previously regulated in art. 286 [1] from securing claims for information. Currently, the claim for information is regulated in a separate article 286 [2]. The legislator has introduced new solutions, and the current wording of the provision does not seem to cause similar interpretation problems as before the amendment. Nevertheless, interestingly enough, it was also decided to return to the provisions that were found as invalid. The provision indicating enumerative catalogue of entities, from which information may also be requested, which is also directly regulated by Directive 2004/48/EC[1], has been restored.

Therefore, a request for information may be addressed, respectively, to a person other than the infringer, if it has been stated that the person has the goods infringing the rights specified in the IPL, uses the services infringing those rights, or provides the services used in the activities infringing those rights. The catalogue of entities which de facto share the position of the infringer also includes a person indicated by the above described entities as participating in the production, manufacture or distribution of goods or services infringing a patent, additional protection right, protection right or right of registration. According to the IPL, all these activities are aimed at obtaining, directly or indirectly, profit or other economic benefit.[2]

Read the full article on IP-BLOG.

This Sunday, April 26, the world will celebrate the World Intellectual Property Day. To spread the knowledge on intellectual property as widely as possible Patpol and Patpol Legal experts organize a hotline day in which anyone interested in exploring issues of IP protection can ask a question and get a quick credible answer.

The theme of this year’s World Intellectual Property Day is Innovation for a green future. The World Intellectual Property Organization is leading the work on creating a balanced and effective international intellectual property system that will support innovation. A green future means fighting climate change and ownership-based innovation.

Patpol and the Patpol Legal law office, leaders in the intellectual property protection sector in Poland, have been cooperating with inventors for many years, whose innovative ecological solutions contribute to environmental protection. This year, as part of celebrating World IP Day, the company experts – patent and trademark attorneys as well as lawyers specializing in IP law – will answer all questions regarding intellectual property in Poland and in the world .

Do not hesitate to contact us via Facebook’s Messenger on Monday, April 27, between 9 am to 4 pm.