The Czech Republic has recently updated its product piracy laws to keep up with European Union law and wider international efforts to create a global intellectual property standard. The country’s legislation now meets all obligations that derive from its membership of (a) the World Trade Organization (namely, the TRIPS agreement), and (b) the Paris Convention (as amended by additional protocols).
These robust product piracy laws protect manufacturers and consumers alike by helping consumers to distinguish identical or confusingly similar products by their manufacturer and therefore permitting them to rely on the products’ quality.
Violation typically involves the unauthorized use of incorporeal goods – such as trademark – which are so ubiquitous that their misuse becomes difficult to control. The counterfeit product bears an unauthorised mark and, in most cases, this involves illegal use of a trademark, but can also involve a utility model or industrial design.
Our office is a pioneer in this field, and has provided product piracy services to reputable foreign manufacturers of branded goods for almost 20 years.
To assist our clients, we employ the means and instruments of European Union law as well as national penal, civil, commercial and administrative laws. We handle issues related to clothing, footwear and sport brands, pharmaceuticals, home appliances and electronics, food and drink, building materials and apartment accessories, chemical-technological components and many other commodities from all spheres of business, including services.