Ombudsman unhappy about improper service of court papers
The citizens’ advocate in Poland has again raised the issue of the legal effects of improper service of judicial documents.

eBay on the blacklist
On 12 July 2011 the European Court of Justice issued a judgment concerning the use of trademarks on internet auction sites (L’Oréal SA v eBay International GmbH, Case C-324/09).

An end to evidentiary privilege for funds in relations with consumers
Fund statements no longer have the status of an official document in the event of a dispute with a client.

Citizen standing to object to trademark registration
The Polish Supreme Administrative Court has confirmed that a person objecting to a decision to register a trademark under Art. 246 of the Industrial Property Law need not demonstrate a legal or factual interest in the matter.

Damages for unlawful nationalisation may be sought through the courts
The Polish Supreme Court has upheld the possibility of seeking damages through the courts for nationalised property…

Protection for renowned trademark Botox
Sąd (dawniej Sąd Pierwszej Instancji) utrzymał w mocy decyzje unieważniające prawa do znaków towarowych BOTOLIST i BOTOCYL ze względu na uznanie, że ich rejestracja narusza prawo do renomowanego znaku towarowego BOTOX.

No EU patent court after all?
Trybunał Sprawiedliwości UE sceptycznie wypowiedział się o zunifikowanym sądownictwie patentowym, które było nadzieją sektora farmaceutycznego na fachowe orzecznictwo. Wciąż mogą jednak powstać polskie wyspecjalizowane sądy patentowe.

Evidentiary privileges for banks?
On 1 March 2011 the Polish Constitutional Tribunal examined the constitutionality of Art. 95(1) of the Banking Law, which gives bank statements the evidentiary weight of official documents.

Reindeer released into the wild
The General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg has upheld a decision by the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market in Alicante refusing to register the three-dimensional shape of a reindeer in a Christmas ribbon as a trademark.

Domain disputes
Dominika Kwiatkiewicz from the Intellectual Property practice group at Wardyński & Partners explains how to achieve an amicable resolution of Internet domain name disputes.

Wardyński & Partners represents Law Debenture Trust in settlement with Elektrim
On 14–15 December 2010 the English company The Law Debenture Trust Corporation p.l.c. concluded a settlement with Elektrim S.A. for payment of a significant amount of over EUR 185 million in claims.

Too-short deadline for appealing against justification issued at a hearing?
The current regulations practically prevent filing an interlocutory appeal against the justification for an order issued by a Polish court during a criminal trial. The Ombudsman has requested the Minister of Justice to look into this issue.
