Welcome to our Annual Review of developments relating to trade marks, copyright and designs during 2019. We have selected a number of the reports that we have published over the course of the last 12 months, commenting on issues ranging from the latest guidance on the boundaries of trade marks and designs through to a number of interesting questions on copyright protection in the light of developing technology and business models. This year’s Review mentions a couple of cases in which we acted, including in a website blocking action for Nintendo in relation to sites selling devices seeking to circumvent encryption measures, and an important case for Sky in the European Court of Justice relating to trade marks.
We also include a brief update on the Brexit position. Now that the Withdrawal Agreement has been ratified and the UK has left the EU, we are in the transition period. During this period, which will end on 31 December 2020 (unless it is extended, albeit the UK Government has said this will not happen), the status quo will be preserved. There will be no change in how IP rights will be protected and enforced during the transition period and, more specifically, EU Trade Marks and Designs will continue during the transition period to extend to the UK. As part of our Brexit preparations, we have set up Mishcon de Reya IP B.V., a trade mark practice based in The Netherlands. Mishcon de Reya IP B.V. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mishcon de Reya LLP and will allow us to ensure continued representation in relation to EU Trade Mark and Design matters before the EUIPO following the end of the transition period. We will continue to update you on Brexit developments throughout the year.
We hope you enjoy reading the Annual Review. Please get in touch if you have comments or queries on any of the topics raised.