Magazine

April 2026 - Apr, 2026

3 | OPINION
AI and humans: What’s the actual relationship?
10 | FEATURES
IP Experts 2026: Hong Kong
13 | FEATURES
Cartoons and characters on merchandise: All about character licensing and IP protection
How can licensors protect IP rights after licensing to third parties? —ESPIE ANGELICA A. DE LEON
18 | FEATURES
IP Experts 2026: Australia
21 | FEATURES
UI and UX: Protecting the modern interface
How different IP regimes safeguard digital interfaces in different ways —EXCEL V. DYQUIANGCO
26 | FEATURES
IP Experts 2026: New Zealand
29 | FEATURES
Patent pools: The package deal of patents
Cutting costs, easing disputes and unlocking innovation through smarter shared patent strategies —ESPIE ANGELICA A. DE LEON
34 | FEATURES
IP Experts 2026: Saudi Arabia
38 | FEATURES
IP Experts 2026: Pakistan
41 | CORRESPONDENTS
Asean
• TSMC’s application to register a slogan in Singapore was rejected for being descriptive and for lack of distinctiveness.
India
• Section 31 of India’s Patents Act, 1970, provides exceptions to the requirement for novelty, including anticipation by public display.
Indonesia
• A new regulation in Indonesia introduces mechanisms for reporting IPR infringements in electronic systems.
Philippines
• The Madrid System has given rise to procedural questions, such as the propriety of directly serving notices to answer to foreign applicants that have designated the Philippines, bypassing the foreign agent responsible for handling said international registration.
Russia
• The choice between Russian and Eurasian procedures to register industrial designs may depend on the applicant’s strategy for expanding design protection.
• In Russia, the exclusive right to a trademark affixed to a specific product is considered exhausted once the product is first placed on the market the right holder.