In August 2024, we reported on the Hong Kong Government’s two-month public consultation on potential revisions to the Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) (“CO”) in response to developments in generative artificial intelligence (“AI”). The public consultation was completed on 8 September 2024.
On 18 February 2025, the Government submitted a discussion paper (“Paper”) to the Legislative…
Across the globe, businesses are keen to appeal to increasingly ethical consumers by promoting ambitious ESG initiatives. This has led to a flood of “green” claims – such as “sustainable”, “environmentally friendly” and “net carbon zero” – in almost every sector.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recognises the direct impact that environmental claims…
The Chinese New Year is generally seen by those celebrating it as a time for reflection, change and improvement. For the 2025 Chinese New Year, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (“CNIPA”) also seems to have taken the opportunity to modify its practice in relation to the evidential burden in trade mark non-use cancellation cases.…
The Board’s Decision
In a significant precedential ruling, Plumrose Holding Ltd. v. USA Ham LLC, No. 91272970, 2025 WL 248763, at *1 (Jan. 17, 2025), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) has expanded protection for foreign trademark owners, ruling that a company can successfully oppose a U.S. trademark application based solely on reputational harm,…
On 27th November 2023, the Beijing Internet Court upheld that an AI generated work can be protected by copyright if the work reflects an author’s choice of expression and has originality (see our earlier blog post here). Almost a year later, on 18th October 2024, we now have another decision from the Changshu People’s…
This article was co-authored by Bella Baker
We live in a disrupted world. One impact from this is a gig economy that increasingly favours contractors and freelancers, allowing for more flexible working arrangements. This has also led to the growing trend of ‘portfolio careers’, with corporates and professionals taking on a range of consulting roles,…
Superbabies Limited (“Superbabies”) creates comics called “The Super Babies,” featuring a team of superhero babies. On May 14, 2024, Superbabies filed a heavily animated petition (“Petition”) to cancel the marks SUPER HERO (U.S. Reg. No. 8,25,835) and SUPER HEROES (U.S. Reg. Nos. 1,179,067; 1,140,452; 3,674,448) jointly owned by DC Comics (“DC”) and Marvel Characters, Inc.…
The digital economy is built around speed, simplicity and more efficient ways of doing things. Data security and privacy is expected but is often negotiable as consumers are enticed to trade private information for efficiency or more attractive offers. In workplaces information sharing and collaboration is more fluid than ever before, and creativity is increasingly…
On 8 July 2024, the Hong Kong government launched a two-month public consultation on potential revisions to the Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) in view of the rapid developments in artificial intelligence (“AI”), especially generative AI. The 52-page consultation paper titled “Copyright and Artificial Intelligence” (the “Paper”) addresses the following issues relating to generative AI:
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Over the past few years, the PRC courts have witnessed a significant increase in AI-related disputes (see our previous newsletters here and here). The Beijing Internet Court’s recent decision on an AI-generated voice case further enriches the jurisprudence in this dynamic field. On 23 April 2024, the Beijing Internet Court handed down its first…
