Mauritius has joined the Madrid System, rounding up the number of countries covered by WIPO’s international trademark system to 130. The Government of Mauritius deposited its instrument of accession to the Madrid Protocol with WIPO Director General, Daren Tang on February 6, 2023. Mauritius is the 114th member of the Madrid System. Its accession further strengthens the Madrid System’s status as a truly global option for trademark protection, and particularly in the Eastern Africa and Indian Ocean Regions.
On 12 January 2023, the Department of Intellectual Property of Myanmar (“DIPM”) under the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued a notice stating that the new Trade Mark Law (2019) is anticipated to come into force in March 2023. This Update highlights what parties should be aware of regarding the Trade Mark Law (2019) and the applicable procedures and requirements.
Deletion may result adversely in TTAB cancellation
The Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (Board) addressed, for the first time, whether the deletion of goods and services as a result of a post-registration audit during a cancellation proceeding triggers Trademark Rule 2.134 and found that it does. The Board required the respondent to show cause as to why its deletion of certain goods from the challenged registration should not result in an adverse judgment.
Today at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Women’s Entrepreneurship (WE) event in Naples, Florida, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Kathi Vidal announced the launch of the agency’s new Intellectual Property (IP) Identifier tool. This user-friendly, virtual resource— designed for those who are less familiar with IP—enables users to identify whether they have IP and the IP protections they need to support and advance their business, invention, or brand.