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Trademark & IP NewsGlobal developments, with a trademark and brand focus.

Explore global trademark, brand protection and related intellectual property developments, selected by Liangma Legalmark Trademark Team and organised by topic and publication date.

Liangma Legalmark Trademark Team selects and explains industry developments. Event dates are stated in each article.

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Oct 27, 2026Latest update

2 updates · Beijing publication dateExpandCollapse

Copyright and design

Taiwan region of China passes draft amendments to the "Patent Act": design patent grace period proposed to be extended from 6 months to 12 months

On 2026, 10, 22, the "Executive Yuan" of the Taiwan region of China passed at its 4026th meeting a draft amendment to certain provisions of the "Patent Act", with five key points: computer-generated images and graphical user interfaces may be protected independently as subject matter of design patents; combined filing of similar designs is added; the design patent grace period is extended from 6 months to 12 months; the time limit for filing a divisional application after approval and issuance is relaxed; and the change of the name of the right holder in disputes over ownership of rights is relaxed. The draft will be sent to the legislative body of the Taiwan region for deliberation.

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U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Fifth Circuit: Copyright Termination Can Reach Foreign Rights, but Creates No Nationwide Precedent

On 2026, 10, 19, the U.S. Supreme Court in BMG Rights Management v. Vetter (No. 25-1391) affirmed the judgment of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that an author's termination under Section 304(c) of the Copyright Act of a worldwide assignment made before 1978 can recapture the rights to the work abroad. This affirmance, however, is not a ruling on the merits: four Justices did not participate in the consideration, and the remaining five did not constitute a quorum, so the Supreme Court acted under 28 U.S.C. § 2109, with the effect of an "equally divided affirmance," carrying no precedential effect and binding only in the three states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

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