2024 Nice Classification: Trademarking Metaverse & NFTs

The Court of Justice of the European Union has delivered a landmark judgment addressing whether effective geo-blocking can lawfully restrict online access to copyrighted works across territorial boundaries, and whether the mere possibility of VPN circumvention undermines such technological measures. The case examines the fundamental tension between territorial copyright protection and the borderless nature of internet access, with significant implications for digital content providers operating across multi

Across Europe, rules once written for human readers are being interpreted by machines.

The Unified Patent Court system offers streamlined patent protection across multiple European jurisdictions, but understanding its mechanisms and strategic implications remains crucial for rights holders.

Family offices are increasingly recognising intellectual property as a critical component of modern wealth, requiring sophisticated governance frameworks that integrate IP into succession planning, asset protection, and cross-border structuring.

In light of an opposition procedure under Article 8 of the European Union Trade Mark Regulation, one must assess the similarity between marks to establish the possibility of finding...

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) SME Fund 2026 enables eligible small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reclaim part of the cost of trademark registration...

In a decision issued yesterday morning, the General Court of the CJEU (EGC) approved the registration of a logo consisting of a shield motif with the letter "M" blazoned across the front...

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Last month the European Court ruled that websites can link to freely available content without the permission of the copyright holder.

In a move likely to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence ("AI") and copyright law across the European Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU")...

The EU AI Act's Article 50 introduces age-dependent disclosure requirements for AI-powered NPCs in video games, creating a new compliance framework where the same generative character may require explicit labeling in one context but not another. This provision intersects with emerging consumer protection regulations and child safety standards, fundamentally changing how gaming studios must assess their AI implementations based on actual player demographics rather than abstract user models.

The EU AI Act's transparency obligations became enforceable on 2 August 2026, requiring providers and deployers of AI systems to clearly disclose AI-generated content, inform users of AI interactions, and label deepfakes. Organizations must now navigate new compliance requirements including disclosure obligations for emotion recognition systems and content on matters of public interest, while facing potential fines of up to €15 million or 3% of global turnover for non-compliance.

The EU Commission has surprisingly withdrawn the proposed AI Liability Directive from consideration. This was announced in the Commission's 2025 work programme, adopted on the 11 February 2025.

The Water Services Corporation has issued a major tender for the design, construction and commissioning of a new reverse osmosis desalination plant in Pembroke, Malta, with a nominal capacity of 11,200 m³ per day. The procurement follows EU Directive 2014/25/EU procedures and requires the existing plant to remain operational throughout the project's 100-week completion period. Economic operators must navigate extensive technical requirements covering reverse-osmosis systems, electrical infrastructure,

The European Union has reached a compromise on the Payment Services Directive 3 (PSD3) and Payment Services Regulation (PSR), introducing sweeping changes to harmonise payment rules across Member States. The package addresses fragmentation under PSD2 by migrating conduct-of-business rules into directly applicable regulations, while introducing new provisions on cash access, cryptocurrency payment services, fraud liability, and open banking.

On 24 July 2025, the Maltese Citizenship (Amendment) Act (Act XXI of 2025) ("Citizenship Amendment Act") came into force, marking the end of the granting of Maltese citizenship by naturalisation for exceptional services by direct investment.

The United Arab Emirates ("UAE") has become the leading FinTech hub in the Middle East. Through bold regulation, access to global capital, and strategic free zones...

The Romanian regulatory framework for gaming was reformed in 2015–16. This created a gambling market that can be generally characterised...

In a landmark ruling delivered yesterday by the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU'), Decision 2016/1250 on the adequacy of the protection provided by the European Union (‘EU') ...

The European Commission is preparing its proposal for the Digital Fairness Act ("DFA"), a legislative initiative intended to strengthen consumer protection in digital environments.