Seraphine Ltd v Mamarella GmbH - The Sequel

Author ich Licence CC BY-SA 3.p Deed Source Wikimedia Commons

German Federal Patent Court

Jane Lambert

Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (Michael Tappin KC) Seraphine Ltd v Mamarella GmbH [2024] EWHC 1507 (IPEC) (18 June 2024)

In Service of Process in Germany After Brexit - Seraphine Ltd v Mamarella GmbH, I discussed the difficulties of serving parties in Germany following the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union and its exclusion from the Lugano Convention. The defendant, Mamarella GmbH ("Mamarella") had challenged the jurisdiction of the court and applied for the service to be set aside. The difficulties were not resolved until Mr Michael Tappin KC held in Seraphine Ltd v Mamarella GmbH [2024] EWHC 425 (IPEC) on 1 March 2024 that the claimant, Seraphine Ltd ("Seraphine") had been entitled to serve process without the permission of the court and rejected Mamarella's challenge to the court's jurisdiction.

In my case note, I mentioned that Mamarella had applied for a stay of the English proceedings pending proceedings in Germany and that that application had been refused by the deputy judge.  it appears from para [3] of a further judgment from Mr Tappin that that was not the case.  Mamarella's application had been based on forum non conveniens and case management grounds.  Mamarella conceded that a party that had agreed to an English jurisdiction clause required overwhelming reasons for a stay on forum non conveniens grounds but it did not abandon its case on case management grounds.  As it appeared that the German proceedings were about to be resolved Mamarella agreed to an order adjourning its application generally with liberty to restore before 24 May 2024 which was also the date upon which Mr Tappin had ordered a defence to be served.

The German proceedings were not resolved before 24 May 2024.   Instead, a fresh date for an oral hearing was fixed for 18 Nov 2024.  Judgment is likely to be handed down between 4 and 8 weeks later.   In accordance with its liberty to restore, Mamarella renewed its application for a stay. Mamarella's case was that the German proceedings were for a declaration that Mamarella has not, through its advertising or sale of 30 identified products (some of which are in issue in the English proceedings), infringed any unregistered Community design rights of Seraphine, and that Seraphine is not entitled to make any unfair competition claim in that regard.  Mamarella argued that in respect of the designs that are in issue in both sets of proceedings a finding by the German court would entitle the successful party to claim that the issue was res judicata. 

Mr Tappin was not persuaded.   In Seraphine Ltd v Mamarella GmbH [2024] EWHC 1507 (IPEC) (18 June 2024) he ordered Mamarella to serve its defence by 3 July 2023 and Seraphone to serve its reply by 31 July 2024.  It was clear from its solicitor's witness statement that preparations for service of its defence were well advanced by 24 May 2024.  He said that he had identified over 80 pieces of potential prior art.  As for the designs that were in issue in both sets of proceedings the deputy judge noted that Mamarella was ready to proceed in the German action in March.   If Mamarella wanted to plead res judicata it could do so now.  A case management conference which was likely to be held in early Autumn could consider the appropriate directions for trial including any that might relate to a judgment by the German court.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact page, 

Protecting Intellectual Assets Abroad

World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") Geneva

Author Emmanuel Berrod  Licence CC BY-SA 4.0  Source  flicker

 

Jane Lambert

Whenever an inventor applies for a British patent, he or she makes a bargain with the British public.  In return for disclosing "the invention in a manner which is clear enough and complete enough for the invention to be performed by a person skilled in the art" the inventor is granted a monopoly of the the invention  in the United Kingdom for up to 20 years.   Folks outside the United Kingdom are not privy to that agreement so unless the inventor applies for patents elsewhere, there is nothing to stop a competitor from making, selling  or using the invention overseas.

As other countries' patent laws require the invention to be new at the time of the application, inventors had to apply for patents simultaneously to the intellectual property offices of all the countries in which they sought patent protection.  As can be imagined, that could be expensive and complicated.  The financial and administrative burden was mitigated by the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property which allowed applicants to backdate their applications to the date of their first application provided they filed their second and subsequent applications within a year of the first application.  That is known as a "right of priority" which is granted by art 4 of the Convention.

Having 12 months in which to file foreign patent applications certainly made life easier for applicants but they still had to make separate applications to each intellectual property office.  On 17 Oct 1977, the European Patent Convention ("EPC") came into force.   The EPC established the European Patent Office ("EPO") which grants patents known as "European patents" for the territories of the governments that are party to that Convention.   Despite their name, European patents are not patents for the whole continent or even the European Union.  They are granted for designated contracting states 

on behalf of the governments of those states.  A European patent designating the UK is known as a European patent (UK) and is treated for almost all practical purposes as if it had been granted by the Intellectual Property Office.in Newport.  The great advantage of applying to the EPO is that applications can be made simultaneously for European patents for up to 39 states from a single filing.  

On 1 June 1978, the Patent Cooperation Treaty ("PCT") came into force.   That Treaty enables patent applications to be made simultaneously to up to 156  states from a single filing.   Applications can be made directly or indirectly to the World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") which is the UN specialist agency for intellectual property.  If requested, the WIPO will carry out an international preliminary examination which will examine the invention for novelty, inventiveness and utility.  If the examination is favourable the applicant can ask for the application to be forwarded to the national intellectual property offices for further consideration.   More information on the EPO and PCT is offered by the IPO in Protecting Your Patent Abroad which was last updated on 1 July 2022.

Art 4 of the Paris Convention confers a 6-month right of priority from the date of the first application upon applicants for trade marks and registered designs.  While the UK was in the European Union, applicants had the choice of applying to national intellectual property offices for the registration of national trade marks or designs or to the European Union Intellectual Property Office ("EUIPO") for the registration of European Union trade marks or registered Community designs which applied to the UK and the other 27 member states of the EU. Since 31 Dec 2020 EU trade marks and registered Community designs have continued to apply to the remaining 27 member states but not here.  Accordingly, UK brand or design owners can still apply to the EUIPO for new EU trade mark or RCD registrations.

Just as the PCT enables applications to be made for patents in many countries from a single filing the Madrid Protocol facilitates multiple trade mark applications from a single filing.   Updated guidance on applications for EU trade marks and the Madrid Protocol is provided by the IPO in Protecting your trade mark abroad.  Similarly, the Hague Agreement permits multiple design registration applications from a single filing.   Details on applications for registered Community designs and under the Hague Agreement are available from the IPO in Protecting your Design Abroad.

Owners of UK copyrights will acquire automatically corresponding local copyrights in countries that are party to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.  Similarly, owners of rights in performances in the UK will acquire automatically local corresponding rights in countries that are party to the Rome Convention (International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations).   Guidance from the IPO is in Protecting your Copyright Abroad.  

There is no equivalent to unregistered design right in most countries.  In some, however.  designs that are protected by unregistered design rights in the UK may be registered as utility models which are unknown in this country.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form. at any other time.

The Intellectual Property Provisions of the Draft Withdrawal Agreement

Author Furfur
Licence Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International

Jane Lambert

Art 126 of the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community which was published on 14 Nov 2018 provides for a transition or implementation period to begin no later than 29 March 2018 and continue at least until 31 Dec 2020.  During that period, EU law would continue to apply to and subsist in the UK by virtue of art 127.  That would include the legislation establishing EU trade marks, Community designs and plant breeders' rights, geographical indications, database rights and supplementary protection certificates. 

Preservation of EU Intellectual Property Rights

At the end of the implementation period, all IP rights granted under EU law would lapse pursuant to art 50 (3) of the Treaty on European Union.  Arts 54 to 61 of the draft withdrawal agreement make provision for the preservation of those rights as UK intellectual property rights at the end of the implementation period. The draft withdrawal agreement makes no provision for the Unified Patent Court Agreement which is awaiting German ratification.   However, if Germany ratifies the Unified Patent Court Agreement during the implementation period there would appear to be no reason why that agreement should not come into force during that period,  What would happen after that will depend on the terms of the UK's future relationship with the EU.

Future Relationship

As I said in A Withdrawal Agreement Reading Guide of 15 Nov 2018, bullet points for an agreement on the future relationship appear in the Outline of the Political Declaration setting out the Framework for the Future Relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom,  The bullet point on intellectual property could not be briefer:

• "Protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights beyond multilateral treaties to stimulate innovation, creativity and economic activity."

The words "beyond multilateral treaties" are at least compatible with the possibility of continued British participation in the UPC Agreement.

Trade Marks, Registered Designs and Plant Varieties

Art 54 (1) of the draft withdrawal agreement provides for the conversion of EU trade marks, registered Community designs and plant varieties into corresponding British IP rights:

"The holder of any of the following intellectual property rights which have been registered or granted before the end of the transition period shall, without any re-examination, become the holder of a comparable registered and enforceable intellectual property right in the United Kingdom under the law of the United Kingdom:

(a) the holder of a European Union trade mark registered in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council shall become the holder of a trade mark in the United Kingdom, consisting of the same sign, for the same goods or services;
(b) the holder of a Community design registered and, where applicable, published following a deferral of publication in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 shall become the holder of a registered design right in the United Kingdom for the same design;
(c) the holder of a Community plant variety right granted pursuant to Council Regulation (EC)No 2100/94 shall become the holder of a plant variety right in the United Kingdom for the same plant variety."

Art 55 (1) requires the registration of converted trade marks, design registrations and plant varieties to be free of charge.  The Intellectual Property Office and Plant Variety Rights Office will use data supplied by the EU Intellectual Property Office and Community Plant Variety Office pursuant to art 55 (3).  The UK will honour international trade mark and design applications design applications that designate the European Union during the implementation period pursuant to art 56.

Those new converted rights would be revoked, declared invalid or null and void or cancelled automatically pursuant to art 54 (3) if the corresponding EU right were revoked, declared invalid or null and void or cancelled by any administrative or judicial proceedings which was ongoing before the end of the implementation period.  However, the article makes clear that that would not happen if the grounds of revocation, invalidity or cancellation did not apply to the UK.  In particular, art 54 (5) (b) provides that a converted trade mark will not be revoked on grounds of no genuine use in the EU if it has been put to genuine use in the UK even if the corresponding EU trade mark is revoked.

The priority date for a converted trade mark will be the same as for the corresponding EU trade mark (art 54 (5) (a)). The date of filing or priority of a converted registered design or plant variety right shall be the same as for the corresponding Community right (art 54 (6) (b)). Arr 54 (5) (c) entitles the proprietor of a converted trade mark that has acquired a reputation in the EU before the end of the implementation period to sue under s,10 (3) of the Trade Marks Act  1994.   The renewal date for converted trade marks and registered designs in the UK would be the same as for the corresponding EU trade mark or registered Community design in the EU (art 54 (4)).  The term of protection for a converted registered design or plant variety right in the UK shall be at least as long as the remaining period of protection for the corresponding registered Community design or plant variety in the EU (art 54 (6) (a)).

Where an application for an EU trade mark or registered Community design is made but not granted during the implementation period. art 59 (1) entitles the applicant to apply for  UK trade mark or, as the case may be, registered design with the same priority date as the EU trade mark or registered Community design so long as the application is made within 9 months of the end of the implementation period. Art 59 (2) provides a similar right for applicants for Community plant varieties save that the application must be made within 6 months of the end of the implementation period.

Unregistered Community Designs
The UK is required by art 57 to create an unregistered design right equivalent to unregistered Community designs and to protect unregistered Community designs that come into being before the end of the implementation period under that new right.

Database Rights
Art 58 (1) requires the UK to continue to recognize database rights that are acquired before the end of the trnsition period  to the same extent as they are protected in the remaining member states provided that holders of those rights continue to comply with the qualification requirements set out in art 11 of Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases (OJ L 77, 27.3.1996, p. 20).  Conversely, British nationals will continue to enjoy database rights that are acquired in the remaining member states before the end of the implementation period.

Supplemental Protection Certificates
Applications to the IPO for supplemental protection certificates in respect of plant protection and medicinal products within the transition period but not yet granted will be treated as though they had been granted during the implementation period (art 60).

Geographical Indications
Art 54 (2) requires the British government to pass legislation to protect in the UK geographical indications, designation of origin or traditional specialities in the same way and to the same extent as they are protected in the EU.  Any such right subsisting in the EU at the end of the implementation period will continue to apply in the UK after the end of that period,  Such right shall cease to apply in the UK if it ceases to apply in the EU.

Further Information
It is stressed that these arrangements shall apply only if the withdrawal agreement comes into force. Should it fail to do so readers should consult the guidance that has been given by the British government in the event of the UK's departure from the EU without a withdrawal agreement (see IP after Brexit - the Government's Guidance  22 Oct 2018 NIPC Law, Patents if there’s no Brexit Deal 3 Oct 2018 NIPC Brexit, Geographical Indications after Brexit 6 Oct 2018 NIPC Branding, EU Trade Marks and Community Designs after Brexit 15 Oct 2018 NIPC Brexit, Copyright and Related Rights after Brexit 19 Oct 2018 NIPC Brexit, and Plant Breeders' Rights after Brexit 21 Oct 2018 NIPC Brexit).

Anyone wishing to discuss this article or IP generally should call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.

EU Trade Marks and Community Designs after Brexit

Jane Lambert

At present it is possible to register a trade mark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office ("EUIPO") for the whole European Union including the United Kingdom as an EU trade mark ("EUTM"). Similarly, it is possible to register a design with the EUIPO for the whole EU including the UK as a registered Community design ("RCD").  Designs that are capable of being registered as RCDs are protected automatically from copying for 3 years from being made available to the public as unregistered Community designs ("UCD"). All those rights were created by regulations made under EU treaties that cease to apply to the UK when it leaves the EU.

If HM government concludes a withdrawal agreement with the EU before 29 March 2019, those regulations will continue to apply to the UK until 31 Dec 2020 when it is hoped that a new relationship with the EU will be in place.  If the UK leaves on 29 March 2019 without a withdrawal agreement, the provisions contained in the regulations will be preserved in the UK by s.3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.  The regulations will, of course, continue to apply in the states that remain in the EU.

It appears from the guidance Trade marks and designs if there’s no Brexit deal that legislation will be introduced to enable applicants for an EUTM or RCD at the time of Brexit to apply to the UK Intellectual Property Office ("the IPO")  for simillar trade mark or registered design protection.  They must make their application within 9 months of Brexit.  They will be able to retain the date of the EU application for priority purposesI.   Owners of EUTMs and RCDs will be able to convert their registrations into British trade marks or registered designs "with minimal administrative burden."  The guidance states that the "UK is also working, including with the World Intellectual Property Organisation, to provide continued protection in the UK from March 2019 for trade marks and registered designs filed through the Madrid and Hague Systems, and designating the EU as the area where they apply."

The implications for EUTM and RCD owners will be as follows:

• "existing registered EU trade marks or registered Community designs held will continue to be valid in the remaining EU member states
• protection of existing registered EU trade marks or registered Community designs in the UK will be through a new, equivalent UK right which will be granted with minimal administrative burden
• right holders will be notified that a new UK right has been granted. Any business, organisation or individual that may not want to receive a new comparable UK registered trade mark or design will be able to opt out
• provision will be made regarding the status of legal disputes involving EU trade marks or registered Community designs which are ongoing before the UK courts and more information will be provided on this before the point at which the UK exits the EU
• applicants with a pending application for an EU trade mark or a registered Community design at the point of exit will be able to refile, within nine months from the date of exit, under the same terms for a UK equivalent right, retaining the EU application date for priority purposes
• applicants with pending applications for an EU trade mark or a registered Community design will not be notified and after exit will need to consider whether they refile with the Intellectual Property Office to obtain protection in the UK
• new applications will be eligible to be filed in the UK for UK trade marks and registered designs as they are now, and at the cost specified in the UK fee structure
• UK applicants, like EU and third country applicants, will continue to be able to apply for protection in the EU through an EU trade mark or registered Community design as they do currently,"

Finally, the guidance announces that a new intellectual property right, to be known as a "supplementary unregistered design right" with the characteristics of an UCD, will be established.  The guidance notes:

• "existing unregistered Community designs will continue to be valid in the remaining EU member states
• protection of existing unregistered Community designs in the UK will be provided for with no action required by the right holder
• provision will be made regarding the status of legal disputes involving unregistered Community designs which are ongoing before UK courts."

The EUIPO published frequently asked questions on the impact of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union on the European Union trade mark and the Community design on 18 Jan 2018 and a notice to holders of, and applicants for, EUTM and RCD on 1 Dec 2017,

Anyone wishing to discuss this article or Brexit generally should call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 during the usual office hours or send me a message through my contact page.