Type of trademark and evaluation of its genuine use
The Court of Justice has finally resolved the case of an EU trademark displaying an X on the side of a sports shoe. The German company Deichmann SE sought revocation of the registration, claiming there was no genuine use of the mark.
Court of Justice on the rule of law: Analysis of the judgment
In the judgment issued on 24 June 2019 in Commission v Poland (Case C-619/18), the Court of Justice held that the law reducing the retirement age of judges of the Supreme Court of Poland violated Art. 19 of the Treaty on European Union, which amplifies the principle of the rule of law set forth in Art. 2 of the treaty. Why was this judgment issued?
Tic-Tac prevails in dispute over MIK MAKI dragee container
In a judgment of 6 March 2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union gave its final ruling on a case surrounding invalidation of a community design presenting the box for MIK MAKI dragees. The invalidation was being sought by Ferrero SpA, claiming infringement of its registered figurative mark for Tic-Tac packaging.
No supplementary protection for a new form of an active substance
In a judgment of 21 March 2019 (C-443/17) the CJEU reiterated the need for a precise and concise interpretation of the term “protected product” under Regulation (EC) 469/2009 concerning the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products. The CJEU stressed that this term only applies to an active ingredient of a medicinal product, and not combination with other substances that do not have an independent therapeutic effect.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) did not determine whether rule of law is breached in Poland
The judgment issued on 25 July following a request for a preliminary ruling from an Irish court in case C-216/18 PPU L.M. does not essentially differ from the opinion issued by the advocate general. The CJEU stated specifically the circumstances in which the executing authority can find an exception to the principle of mutual recognition, but placed the final decision in the hands of the national court executing the European arrest warrant.
Louboutin wins case to defend red-soled shoes as a trademark
The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has ruled that Christian Louboutin’s famous red sole does not consist solely of a shape that significantly increases the value of a product, and therefore can be registered as a trademark. This is an important victory for the fashion designer in the long-running battle concerning red-soled shoes.
The Commission pushes forward on intra-EU investment protection
Earlier this year, the European Commission scored an important success in its campaign against intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties. The CJEU’s judgment in the Achmea case1 confirmed the Commission’s standpoint that a system that allows an investor from one EU Member State to challenge in international arbitration measures taken against its investment by another, host EU Member State, is incompatible with EU law.
European arrest warrant and determining whether rule of law is observed
On 28 June 2018 the advocate general at the European Court of Justice issued an opinion regarding a request for a preliminary ruling from an Irish court on whether the judicial authority executing a European arrest warrant against a citizen of a different EU member state is required to postpone execution of the warrant in order to determine whether there is a real risk of breach of the right to a fair trial in the issuing state due to deficiencies in the system of justice of the issuing state.
Polish wind farms before the Court of Justice of the European Union
The issue of limits on construction of new on-shore wind turbines was examined by the CJEU. Have technical provisions been introduced without notification of the European Commission, and does this mean that Polish courts are required to refuse to apply them?
A design determined by product function
Designs of products or parts of products are protected if they are new and the overall impression they make differs from designs know to the public up until that time. Certain features, determined solely by the technical function of the product, are not protected. Until now there were various interpretations as to what in fact determines that a particular feature is solely a result of the product function. The issue was clarified in a recent CJEU judgment.
CJEU on transparency of medicine registration data
On 5 February 2018 the CJEU issued long-awaited judgments in three cases in one day concerning release to third parties of medicinal product registration documentation. These rulings confirm the European Medicines Agency’s current data transparency policy. How are conflicting interests weighed regarding release of medicine registration data?
BITs between member states breach EU law
The Court of Justice has rejected the advocate general’s opinion and ruled in the Achmea case that investment arbitration, the option provided for in treaties between member states for foreign investors to commence arbitration against a state where it has invested, violates the autonomy of EU law.
