Lithuania News Archives
June 23, 2010
Microsoft Loses Copyright Infringement Suit Against Lithuanian BitTorrent Tracker
According to the blog TorrentFreak, reporting on the latest news on the BitTorrent protocol and file sharing, Microsoft was unable to shut down the largest Lithuanian BitTorrent website LinkoManija after the court of appeals overturned earlier decision in favor of the defendant.
At the beginning of 2010, Microsoft sued LinkoManija’s owner and host for assisting in the unauthorized distribution of Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 applications. Microsoft obtained an injunction against the website and its alleged operator, Kestas Ermanas, whose assets were seized and bank accounts frozen. However, the website remained online as Ermanas appealed the decision claiming that he had transferred the ownership of LinkoManija to another party back in 2009.
According to TorrentFreak’s May 21, 2010 post, the court of appeals has recently ruled in Ermanas’s favor and LinkoManija will remain online until Microsoft files a new lawsuit against the present owner of the Lithuanian BitTorrent. The date of the final trial has not been set yet, but it is expected soon.
Microsoft lost a similar case in Lithuania in March 2010 against a LinkoMania user who allegedly shared Windows 7 Ultimate without authorization. The court ruled in favor of the defendant due to a lack of evidence against him.
For more information, please contact Masa Lopicic at our Balkan Regional Office.
Source: TorrentFreak
May 24, 2010
Lithuanian PTO Launches Electronic Patent Database
On April 29, 2010, the Lithuanian PTO launched an electronic database on its website with information on patent applications, granted patents and status changes available in both English and Lithuanian.
By clicking on the application number one can obtain the PDF document with more detailed information about the specific patent.
According to the Lithuanian PTO, the database is updated monthly, while the details about fees are updated on a daily basis.
For more information, please contact Masa Lopicic at our Balkan Regional Office.
Source: Lithuanian PTO
February 23, 2010
Lithuanian Inventor Patents a Physiotherapeutic Table
Lithuanian inventor Sarunas Davainis has recently registered an extraordinary patent – a physiotherapeutic table that emits infrared radiation, intended to help with simple health disorders and strengthen the overall patients’ health.
The infrared radiations increase the therapeutic effect of any treatment performed on the table, like acupuncture or massage. Apart from the infrared emissions, the upper side of the tabletop is covered with a layer of minerals, which when heated increase the cell viability and prevent inflammation.
The table is installed at a spa center in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. To find out more about this invention, please look at the WIPO’s detailed description.
For more information, please contact Masa Lopicic in our Balkan Regional Office.
Source: Lithuanian PTO; WIPO
October 27, 2008
Bosnia, Bulgaria and Lithuania ratify Geneva Act of Hague Agreement on Industrial Designs
The three countries formally acceded to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement on International Registration of Industrial Designs by depositing their accession documents with WIPO.
This treaty allows users to apply for protection of industrial designs in the EU and other member states by filing one single application for registration. The treaty took effect in Lithuania on September 26, 2008, in Bulgaria on October 7, 2008, and in Bosnia & Herzegovina it will take effect on December 24, 2008.
27 other countries are currently contracting parties to the Geneva Act.
For more information, contact Ms. Judith Goeke in our Balkan Regional Office.
November 03, 2006
Lithuania Amends Its Trademark Law
The new law annuls the right to request compensation for immaterial damages. At the same time, the law provides additional details for regulating compensation for actual damages.
According to the new law, the amount awarded for actual damages and lost profit will be based on the amount that is generally issued for the legal use of the trademark.
In addition, the new law provides that IP rights holder has the right to obtain information from the infringer about the nature and method of distribution of infringing goods, as well as from third parties that may be involved.
The amendments and supplements went into effect on June 8th, 2006.
For more information, please contact our Lithuania representative.
October 16, 2004
Accession of Lithuania to the European Patent Convention
After its entry into the European Union on May 1, 2004, Lithuania deposited its instrument of accession to the European Patent Convention (EPC).
According to the text of ratification, the EPC will enter into force in Lithuania on December 1, 2004.
Pursuant to the Co-operation and Extension Agreement between the European Patent Office and Lithuania, the Lithuanian patent protection system has been linked to the EPC for the last 10 years. However, it is not until now that Lithuania will take the Agreement one step further to become the 30th contracting state of the EPC.
With regard to the practical aspects of the accession, the European Patent extension system will continue to apply to all European and international applications filed prior to December 1, 2004. For European and international applications filed on or after December 1, 2004, the validation route will take place after the grant of the European Patent. Moreover, any international application filed on or after the accession date will include the designation of Lithuania for a European Patent, in addition to a national patent.
For more details on the validation of European Patents to Lithuania, please contact our Lithuania representative.