Opinion

The biggest roadblock to improving mental health in the legal profession is the failure to recognise that a lawyer’s worth cannot be measured in billable hours, argues Derek LaCroix, executive director of the Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia.

19 March 2022

The data adds to the body of research evidencing how brands are uniquely placed to drive change and why they can no longer be passive actors.

12 March 2022

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has secured a 10-year permanent injunction and $3.6 million in civil penalties against six large-scale sellers of counterfeits.

05 March 2022

The UK’s Advertising Standards Association upheld complaint about environmental claims by Innocent is an important one for brand counsel to consider.

26 February 2022

Class 9 is already overcrowded. The rise of virtual goods in the metaverse will only make things worse.

19 February 2022

New data from WIPO has revealed a record level of UDRP work in 2021. Few brand protection professionals will welcome the increase, which has significant budget implications, argues this week’s opinion.

12 February 2022

The temptation may be to regard NFTs as a passing fad, but the reality is that many brands are already dipping their toes into the market – as are infringers. As such, trademark professionals have to be monitoring the space.

05 February 2022

ICANN’s operational design assessment of the SSAD recommendations makes for grim reading for brand protection professionals, with the proposed system to facilitate WHOIS data access set to be years in the making – if it is delivered at all.

29 January 2022

With technology company Snap taking the USPTO to court for rejecting the registration of a SPECTACLES trademark, Phillips Nizer partner Alan Behr outlines his thoughts on the dispute in our latest opinion column.

22 January 2022

Criticism of Unilever’s sustainability focus by a major shareholder should not be taken at face value, argues our latest opinion column.

15 January 2022

Our latest opinion column explores why IP office innovation truly matters in the office landscape – for users, governments and the wider economy.

08 January 2022

This week the US president committed to making the government carbon-neutral by 2050. As similar targets are set around the world, the next 12 months will see an escalation in green IP – with branding a key component, argues this week’s opinion column.

11 December 2021

We reflect on the findings of the latest WTR Trademark Elite Expert Panel report and the internal pressures making brand creation and enforcement work more challenging in our latest opinion column.

04 December 2021

INTA’s new strategic plan makes perfect sense when viewed against the backdrop of the past 18 months and the need to ensure members see clear ROI on their dues, argues this week’s Saturday opinion.

27 November 2021

INTA will be hosting its 2022 Annual Meeting in Washington DC as a physical event with virtual elements. But the association will be keen to head back to Asia before 2024, this week’s Saturday opinion argues.

20 November 2021

Dior has found itself in the media spotlight over its upcoming collaboration with Travis Scott, but it will not be the last brand grappling with how to react when a celebrity relationship attracts news headlines for the wrong reasons, notes our latest Saturday opinion.

13 November 2021

COP26 and efforts to avert a climate change catastrophe have dominated media headlines this week. Greenwashing accusations have also been made, sending a warning to companies.

06 November 2021

This week the Cleveland Guardians roller derby team filed a lawsuit that seeks to prohibit the Cleveland MLB team from using the same name.

30 October 2021

With a petition set for the International Criminal Court, it is about time the dangers of counterfeit goods are considered among the list of crimes against humanity, argues our Saturday opinion.

23 October 2021

Two of the biggest Chinese shipping agents appear to be helping to make buying counterfeits more convenient and therefore worsening the battle against fakes, argues our Saturday opinion.

16 October 2021