The sic! journal for intellectual property, information and competition law has been published since 1997 and is indispensable to the professional community. For more than 23 years, an independent editorial board has ensured that this high-quality publication keeps Swiss IP lawyers up to date with the latest case law and academic discourse. It is supported by the IPI, the International...

The legal criteria for the long-term protection of ‘Swissness’ are fulfilling their purpose. This has been confirmed in studies commissioned by the Federal Council. They are adding value to the Swiss economy and are also leading to a decrease in cases of ‘Swissness’ misuse, particularly within Switzerland. However, in a report approved on 18 December 2020, the Federal Council sees potential for...

The dialogue between Switzerland, most notably the IPI, and the relevant Indonesian authorities has borne fruit with the adoption of the Omnibus Law, in autumn 2020. At the beginning of October 2020, the Indonesian Parliament passed the Omnibus Law. This legislative amendment concerns the revision of a total of 76 laws covering areas such as labour, taxation and intellectual property.On...

The Federal Council wants to modernise the Swiss patent system and adapt it to international standards. It opened the consultation procedure on the partial revision of the Patents Act on 14 October 2020. The consultation proposes that a patent should only be granted if the invention to be patented is novel and innovative. This would lead to more legal certainty and increase the value of...

Switzerland yesterday ratified the constitutional reform of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), thereby accepting an institutional reform drawn up by the member states. The reform amends ten international treaties to which Switzerland is a party, such as the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Patent Cooperation Treaty.“The constitutional reform of...

With WIPO PROOF, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched a global online service that provides proof of the existence of a digital file at a specific point in time. The new service complements WIPO’s existing intellectual property systems by helping creators to take verifiable measures to better protect the results of their work. The system is intended to reduce the...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the technology at the centre of the fourth industrial revolution. It is already having an impact on daily life around the world, and equally is influencing intellectual property. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has published a Revised Issues Paper on Intellectual Property Policy and Artificial Intelligence. Within the framework of an open-ended...

At their General Assembly, the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) appointed Daren Tang of Singapore as the new Director General. He will succeed Francis Gurry, who has led the organisation for twelve years. Mr Tang’s six-year term of office will begin on 1 October. With reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, the new Director General emphasised that, more than...

In response to criticism from the US entertainment industry, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) placed Switzerland on a ‘watch list’ in 2016 in its annual report on countries that insufficiently protect American IP interests (the Special 301 Report). The USA argued that it was not sufficiently possible to enforce copyright on the internet in Switzerland. In recognition of amendments to...

Every 26 April marks World Intellectual Property Day. This year, the focus is on how innovation can create a green future and the various ways in which IP can be used to achieve this. Intellectual property has a key role to play in tackling climate change. “New climate-friendly innovations and new ways of thinking are urgently required to tackle the climate crisis and achieve a green future,”...