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The next newsletter will cover the following topics:

IP protection vs the “right to repair”

Germany’s new draft bill on the “Right to Repair” highlights the growing tension between sustainability goals and intellectual property protection. The bill, implementing the EU “Right to Repair” Directive, strengthens consumers’ and independent repairers’ ability to repair products. At the same time, it aims to maintain the protection through patents, trademarks, and design rights, allowing manufacturers to restrict repair activities where necessary to protect IP. This reinforces the boundary between legal repair and prohibited re-manufacturing.

Joint ventures based on intellectual property

The Lands’ End–WHP Global joint venture shows how intellectual property can be the core business asset around which new commercial partnerships are structured. In the deal, Lands’ End is contributing its full brand-related intellectual property portfolio and its ongoing licensing contracts to a newly formed joint venture with WHP Global, with WHP paying $300 million for its 50 % stake. WHP will lead global licensing and brand expansion programs, while Lands’ End retains operational control of its B2C and B2B businesses under the licensing contract.

Systematic commercialization of research results

The University of Texas at Austin’s Discovery to Impact 2025 Annual Report highlights the best practice of how to systematically commercialize research results by showing how academic discoveries are being purposefully translated into real-world innovation. Last year, the program supported a surge in research outputs moving beyond the laboratory, e.g. 300 invention disclosures that led to 154 new patent applications and 112 licensing agreements with industry partners. The initiative also helped launch dozens of startups and manages hundreds of technology license agreements, with reinvestment into further innovation infrastructure and entrepreneurial support. This reflects a structured ecosystem that systematically transforms university research into market success.

Trademark protection challenges for celebrities

The Beckham family trademark dispute highlights the complex challenges of trademark protection for celebrities when personal and commercial rights collide. Brooklyn Beckham publicly accused his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, of pressuring him to sign over the commercial rights to the trademark of his own name ahead of his 2022 wedding, a mark that had been registered by Victoria when he was a minor. Celebrity name trademarks for various fashion and entertainment-related classes like “Brooklyn Beckham” are common tools to control promotion deals and stop others from benefiting from celebrity fame. Disputes arise when trademark ownership and personal interests diverge, especially as celebrities develop their own brands.

Resource Hub: The Smart Kit “LinkedIn Essentials to boost your Profile”

This guide supports IP experts in using LinkedIn as a business tool rather than a digital résumé, turning their profile into a professional landing page. It provides a practical starting point for building visibility, attracting clients, and sharpening overall expert positioning.

Why IP experts resist branding language and what they’re right about

The article argues that IP experts usually present themselves through proof of competence: practice areas, jurisdictions, track records, and technical precision. This builds credibility but leaves the human side of expert work largely invisible. As AI increasingly handles information, the human touch becomes the key differentiator. What clients value in critical moments is judgment, framing, responsibility, and the feeling of being in safe hands with an expert. In this context, expert branding should not mean self-promotion, but legibility: making clear how an expert creates value as a partner in decisions. These signals appear not only online, but also in conversations and recommendations. When this remains implicit, differentiation disappears between equally competent experts.

AI as a Value Driver for IP Law Firms: Key Insights from the Live Interview with Johannes Ernicke

The article distils the key insights from the live interview with Johannes Ernicke on how artificial intelligence can become a strategic value driver for IP law firms, rather than merely a tool for efficiency gains. Ernicke explains that AI enables law firms to rethink client communication, structure complex IP knowledge more clearly, and integrate legal expertise with business development workflows. By supporting better decision-making, more transparent service offerings, and scalable internal processes, AI helps IP law firms differentiate themselves, strengthen client relationships, and create new business opportunities instead of simply reducing costs or automating routine tasks.

Inside the Black Box of Courts

The podcast episode examines how greater availability of judicial data can transform legal practice by enabling empirical analysis of “law in action” rather than relying solely on traditional text-based interpretation. It highlights that access to high-quality, complete, and reliable court data is now essential for legal predictability and AI-supported research. It also discusses Europe’s varied judicial transparency landscape and stresses the need for explainable AI to ensure verifiable and accountable legal analysis.

Partnering with Giants: How Caracol Uses IP Strategy to Stay in Control with KUKA

The case study of Caracol’s partnership with KUKA shows how a deep-tech scale-up can use IP strategy as a control and scaling mechanism in collaborations with industrial giants. The collaboration combines Caracol’s platform patents, trade secrets and process know-how with KUKA’s robotics and automation IP to create a modular, scalable additive manufacturing system, while structuring foreground and background IP through IP agreements to avoid lock-in and preserve future collaboration and licensing options.