Blog
Analysis and commentary on intellectual property developments relevant to cross-border business across Europe, Latin America and Africa. We publish on the matters that affect how intangible assets are protected, exploited and defended — from EUIPO and WIPO practice to the implementation of the EU AI Act and the evolution of intellectual property regimes across Latin American and African jurisdictions.
How to opt out of AI training in the EU: Article 4 DSM rights reservations
How to reserve your text and data mining rights under Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive, what the LAION case teaches about machine-readable opt-outs and how…
Copyright protection explained: what it covers, when it arises, who owns it
What copyright protects, when it arises without registration, how long it lasts in Spain, the EU, Mexico, Brazil and Nigeria, and who owns works made by…
Registered Community design is now the EU design: what changes for you
Registered Community designs are now registered EU designs. What changes for renewals, licences, contracts and marking, and what stays exactly the same.
Cross-border IP contracting in Iberia: licences, assignments and recordals
Licensing or assigning IP across Spain and Portugal? The written-form, recordal and default rules that differ between Spain and Portugal, and the clauses to fix.
EU copyright review kicks off: what the DSM Directive review means
The Commission has opened the DSM Directive review and a targeted copyright initiative: AI licensing, live-event piracy, third-country music royalties and research.
The UPC patent mediation and arbitration centre opens: what SMEs gain
The UPC's Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre opened on 2 June 2026 in Ljubljana and Lisbon. What it handles, how it links to UPC litigation and…
Trade Secrets Directive evaluation: ten years on, what to audit now
The Commission's evaluation of the Trade Secrets Directive was due on 9 June 2026. What the Directive protects and how cross-border groups should test their reasonable…
IP holding structures: where should a group centralise ownership of its IP?
Which group company should own your trade marks, patents and software? Ownership models, recordal rules, Madrid limits and intra-group licences explained.
Nigeria’s collecting societies under scrutiny: music licensing in Africa
Nigeria's House of Representatives is probing copyright administration. What it means for music licensing, the MCSN-COSON dispute and the frozen private copying levy.
