Countdown to the Mobile World Congress: This is how intellectual property rights, which for the first time include the metaverse, will be protected
Cintia Bernhardt and Mario López, lawyers at Garrigues IP Department.
The Barcelona and Alicante commercial judges have approved the Intellectual Property Fast Action Protocol in the event of potential conflicts during the congress.
From February 27 to March 2, 2023, Barcelona will host a new edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s leading congress in the communications and mobile telephone industry. Businesses from all over the world will take advantage of the congress to showcase new products and technologies that are protected by multiple intellectual property rights.
In view of the decisive role that these rights play and given that conflicts are expected to arise between the different companies in the sector, the commercial court judges of Barcelona and Alicante (European Union trademarks courts) have, once again this year, approved the Intellectual Property Fast Action Protocol Mobile World Congress 2023. The aim is to provide participants of the MWC with specific procedural tools to enable them to protect and exercise their rights swiftly and effectively.
Although the 2023 Protocol has not changed substantially over the last few years, a notable new feature is that a specific measure has been added for actions in the metaverse or in other types of virtual environments, worlds or online platforms.
In particular, the following measures have been agreed:
This is the ninth year running that the commercial courts of Barcelona have adopted the protocol, while the Alicante courts have been adopting it now for five years. It is expected the number of matters recorded to increase this year, after a notable decrease in 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in which only 6 preventive letters and 2 proceedings to verify facts were filed, according to the report published by the Courts of Barcelona and Alicante.