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I. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2011

Catherine Seville
Catherine Seville
Affiliation:
Newnham College.
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Extract

Community activity in this field continues to be extensive. Intellectual property is seen as a key resource for the European Union (‘EU’), and crucial to its position in the global economy. The EU's manufacturing sector is much decreased in importance in comparison with the services sector. New information and communications technologies have transformed the economic environment. The Commission repeatedly emphasises the importance of intellectual property rights for innovation, employment, competition, and economic growth. Intellectual assets are regarded as central to success in the new ‘knowledge economy’. There are two main strands to the Commission's work with intellectual property. One is the harmonisation of the laws of Member States, in order to eliminate barriers to trade. The other is the creation of unitary systems to protect intellectual property rights throughout the Community on the basis of a single application for protection. The Commission also demonstrates particular concern regarding counterfeiting.

Type
Current Developments: European Union Law
Information
International & Comparative Law Quarterly , Volume 60 , Issue 4 , October 2011 , pp. 1039 - 1055
Copyright
Copyright © British Institute of International and Comparative Law 2011

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References

1 A Single Market for Intellectual Property Rights: Boosting creativity and innovation to provide economic growth, high quality jobs and first class products and services in Europe COM(2011)287 final.

2 Between 2005 and 2009, the number of registered cases at the EU borders of goods suspected of infringing Intellectual Property Rights increased from 26,704 to 43,572: COM(2011)287 3.5. For further detail see: <http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs/customs_controls/counterfeit_piracy/statistics/>. The creative industry estimates that piracy has cost the European music, movie, TV and software industry €10 billion and more than 185,000 jobs in 2008 alone: ‘Commission sets out “blueprint” for Intellectual Property Rights to boost creativity and innovation’ IP/11/630 (Press release, 24 May 2011).

3 Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on entrusting the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) with certain tasks related to the protection of intellectual property rights, including the assembling of public and private sector representatives as a European Observatory on Counterfeiting and Piracy COM(2011)288 final.

4 Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the enforcement of intellectual property rights [2004] OJ L195/16. For the planned revision see COM(2011)287 3.5.3.

5 <http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/consultations/2011/intellectual_property_rights_en.htm>.

6 ‘Customs enforcement of intellectual property rights’ MEMO/11/327 (24 May 2011).

7 IP/11/630 (Press release, 24 May 2011).

8 These comprise software and database production, book and newspaper publishing, music and film. Commission figures show that these industries contribute 3.3% to the EU GDP (2006). European Competitiveness Report 2010, Commission Staff Working Document, SEC(2010)1276 final.

9 COM(2011)287 3.3.1.

10 European Commission Green Paper of 16 July 2008 on Copyright in the Knowledge Economy COM(2008)466/3.

11 Directive 2001/29 on Copyright and related rights in the Information Society [2001] OJ L1767/10 (implementation date December 2002).

12 Arts 2, 3 and 4.

13 Art 5.

14 COM(2011)287 3.3.

15 ‘European Commission launches reflection on a Digital Single Market for Creative Content Online’ IP/09/1563 (Press release, 22 October 2009).

16 ‘Commission sees need for a stronger more consumer-friendly Single Market for Online Music, Films and Games in Europe’ IP/08/5 (Press Release, 3 January 2008).

17 Commission Recommendation 2005/737/EC of 18 October 2005 on collective cross-border management of copyright and related rights for legitimate online music services OJ L 276, 21/10/2005.

18 ‘Monitoring of the 2005 music online recommendation’ 7 February 2008: available at <http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/management/management_en.htm>.

19 Public Hearing on the Governance of Collective Rights Management in the EU (23 April 2010). The aim was to explore how the relationships between copyright owners, collecting societies and commercial users of copyright have evolved over time. More available at:

<http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/management/management_en.htm>.

20 COM(2011)287 3.3.1.

21 ‘European Commission launches reflection on a Digital Single Market for Creative Content Online’ IP/09/1563 (Press release, 22 October 2009).

22 <http://www.europeana.eu/portal/>.

23 Proposal for a Directive on certain permitted uses of orphan works COM(2011)289 final (24 May 2011). See also ‘European Commission puts challenges of books digitisation for authors, libraries and consumers on EU's agenda’ IP/09/1544 (19 October 2009).

24 Art 5(2).

25 The Commission reports that in 2006 €453 million in private copying levies have been collected on digital devices and carriers in the European Union: COM(2011)287 3.3.4 n.24.

26 ‘Commission to launch fresh look at Copyright Levies’ IP/08/238 (Press release, 14 February 2008). See also Commission Background Document, ‘Fair compensation for acts of private copying’:

<http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/docs/levy_reform/background_en.pdf>.

27 Case C-467/08 Padawan SL v Sociedad General de Autores y Editores de España (SGAE) (21 October 2010).

28 ibid [44].

29 C-462/09 Stichting de Thuiskopie v Opus Supplies Deutschland GmbH (16 June 2011).

30 COM(2011)287 3.3.4.

31 See, for example, ‘Creativity stifled? A joint academic statement on the proposed copyright term extension for sound recordings’ [2008] EIPR 341–347.

32 Directive amending Directive 2006/116/EC on the term of protection of copyright and certain related rights. For the text see <http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/copyright/docs/term/2011_directive_en.pdf>.

33 COM(2011)287 3.1.1.

34 ‘Commission sets out vision for improving patent system in Europe’ IP/07/463 (Press release, 3 April 2007).

35 ‘Patents: Commission proposes translation arrangements for future EU Patent’ IP/10/870 (Press release, 1 July 2010).

36 <http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/intm/117589.pdf>.

37 ‘Patents: Commission opens the way for some Member States to move forward on a unitary patent’ IP/10/1714 (Press release, 14 December 2010).

38 Council Decision 2011/167/EU of 10 March 2011 authorizing enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection, OJ L 76, 22.3.2011, p. 53. 15 COM (2011) 215 final and COM (2011) 216 final.

39 Opinion 01/09 of 8 March 2011.

40 Draft agreement on a Unified Patent Court and draft Statute–Presidency text 11533/11 (14 June 2011).

41 Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property and Competition Law, Study on the Overall Functioning of the European Trade Mark System (2011).

Available at: <http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/indprop/docs/tm/20110308_allensbach-study_en.pdf>.

42 COM(2011)287 3.2.

43 Directive 89/104 to approximate the laws of the Member States relating to trade marks [1989] OJ L 040/1 (‘TMD’), art 3(1)(b); Regulation 40/94 on the Community Trade Mark [1994] OJ L 11/1 (‘CTMR’), art 7(1)(b).

44 Cases T-336/08, T-337/08, T-346/08, T-395/08 Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli v OHIM and Case T-13/09 Storck v OHIM (17 December 2010). The decision is being appealed to the Court of Justice.

45 Case T-547/08 X Technology Swiss v OHIM (15 June 2010).

46 Case T-388/09 Rosenruist v OHIM [2011] ETMR 51 (28 September 2010).

47 Case T-141/06 Glaverbel v OHIM [2008] ETMR 37.

48 Cases T-109/08 and T-110/08 Freixenet v OHIM (27 April 2010).

49 TMD, art 3(1)(e); CTMR, art 7(1)(e).

50 Case C-299/99 Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV v. Remington Consumer Products [2002] ECR I-5475; [2002] ETMR 81.

51 Case C-48/09 P Lego Juris v OHIM (14 September 2010).

52 Case R 1526/2008-2 Simba Toys GmbH & Co. KG v Seven Towns Limited (1 September 2009).

53 TMD art 3(2)(d); CTMR art 51(1)(b).

54 CTMR, art 8(5); TMD, art 4(3).

55 Case C-375/97 General Motors Corporation v Yplon SA [1999] ECR I-5421.

56 Case C-301/07 PAGO International v Tirolmilch (6 October 2009).

57 Case C-252/07 Intel Corporation Inc v CPM United Kingdom Ltd [2009] ETMR 13.

58 R 0070/2009-1 Red Dog [Fig. Mark]/RED BULL.

59 Case C-487/07 L'Oréal v Bellure [2009] ETMR 55.

60 L'Oréal v Bellure [2010] EWCA Civ 535 [48–9].

61 Case C-487/07 L'Oréal v Bellure [2009] ETMR 55 [63]. See Jacob L.J.'s criticisms in the CA: L'Oréal v Bellure [2010] EWCA Civ 535 [31].

62 Cases C-236/08, C-237/08 and C-238/08 Google france v Louis Vuitton et al (23 March 2010).

63 Case C-323/09 Interflora Inc and Interflora British Unit v Marks & Spencer plc and Flowers Direct Online Limited (22 September 2011).

64 Case T-9/07 Grupo Promer Mon Graphic v OHMI - Pepsi Co (Représentation d'un support promotionnel circulaire (18 March 2010), a decision upheld by the Court of Justice in Case C-281/10, Pepsi Co v Grupo Promer Mon Graphic (20 October 2011).

65 See COM(2011)287 3.4.2.