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Data protection – July-September 2026 News
This LAVOIX newsletter presents a selection of news items from July to September 2026 in the field of data protection.
Three years of the Unified Patent Court: a resounding success
Last June 1st, the Unified Patent Court (‘UPC’) celebrated its third anniversary, coinciding with the opening of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC), and the results have been very positive.
To vary without altering: how to assess the evolution of your trademarks
When a company registers a French or European Union trademark, the registered sign remains fixed. It cannot be altered subsequently, unless a new application is filed. In practice, a sign registered at a given point in time may need to evolve in line with the company’s communications strategy and be used in a modified form, particularly due to marketing and promotional requirements for the goods and services to which it applies. The legislation has taken these practical constraints into account when the trademark owner is required to demonstrate that said trademark is in use by providing evidence of use.
Decision G 1/25 of the Enlarged Board of Appeal
The Enlarged Board of Appeal recently issued its decision in case G 1/25. It concluded that an inconsistency between the claims and the description requires adaptation of the description where, because of that inconsistency, a requirement of the EPC is not complied with.
UPC Local Division Hamburg grants preliminary injunction in Cybex v. Nuna
(UPC_CFI_1321/2026)
In the present case, the applicant, Cybex GmbH, sought preliminary measures against NUNA International B.V. / Allison GmbH based on European Patent EP 4 242 056 B1 relating to a child seat system.
The sound mark in the age of artificial intelligence: voice protection between branding and personal identity
The voice, one of the most intimate components of identity, constitutes both an immediately recognizable distinctive feature and a genuine intangible asset of significant economic value. It also represents a particularly vulnerable resource, insofar as it is constantly recorded, digitized, and disseminated through online content and streaming platforms, thereby becoming increasingly susceptible to reproduction thanks to recent advances in artificial intelligence systems.