Policy Observatory
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/17/ireland-tax-idUSL6N0SC16920141017
From November 24, OHIM will only examine trade mark applications and process any mail related to them after they are paid for. This means the Office can be more efficient, as it will no longer examine applications that ultimately will never be paid for. OHIM is a European Union agency that serves businesses across the EU.
French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin has presented a bill which would implement Directive 2011/77/EU amending Directive 2006/116/EC on the term of protection of copyright and certain related rights, and Directive 2012/28/EU on certain permitted uses of orphan works.
In the midst of steady and significant piracy rates in Romania, enforcement conditions have only deteriorated. High-level Romanian authorities support the private sector in promoting anti-piracy messages, but their efforts have not translated into concrete steps to bring copyright criminals to justice, and enforcement actions in the past year have dropped. As a result, piracy remains widespread in Romania for all forms of copyright works, especially in the online space, where international pirates seek safe haven from better-enforced terrain elsewhere in Europe. Making matters worse, in 2013 the Court of Appeal held that the making available right in Romania is subject to mandatory collective administration, contradicting Romania’s obligations under the WIPO Treaties to provide an exclusive making available right and the means to enforce it. We encourage the Romanian Government to address this troubling development, adapt the country’s laws to the modern environment, encourage a national policy of cooperation against online infringement, ensure police officials are competent and well-equipped to conduct raids and investigations efficiently, and give targeted prosecutors and courts the authority and training to bring piracy cases to speedy conclusion, with deterrent sentences and penalties. The support and assistance of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest continues to be an invaluable part of the continued effort to address these crucial issues.
In Poland, the Industrial Property Rights Act regulates issues related to granting and protection of exclusive industrial property rights at national level.
The Spanish Senate just approved the new Intellectual Property Law Reform, including the new AEDE tax in its 32.2 article.