ECTA is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP), formalised today at the ECTA office in Brussels by ECTA President Carina Gommers and BOIP Director General Hugues Derème. The agreement marks a new step in the ongoing cooperation between the two organisations, aiming to promote collaboration and the exchange of best practices in key areas of intellectual property.Commenting on the signing, ECTA President, Carina Gommers, said:“BOIP is a partner with whom ECTA shares a strong professional synergy, and this MoU builds on our fruitful cooperation in recent years - notably the successful ECTA ®etreat co-organised with BOIP last year in The Hague. As a Belgian practitioner who is part of the Benelux IP framework, it is especially meaningful for me to strengthen this partnership during my presidency. I am sure this MoU will serve as a lasting contribution to ECTA’s outreach in the region and to our shared mission of supporting the IP community”.BOIP Director General, Hugues Derème, also shared his views:"Our collaboration with ECTA has a longstanding and successful history. I'm therefore personally delighted about the signing of this MoU, because it underlines exactly our shared values. BOIP firmly believes in an IP system that is functional - one that prioritises the needs and wishes of its users. It is no coincidence that we are committed to delivering the highest quality of services in our BOIP2030 Strategic Plan. Quality is our goal, both in the services and information that we provide, but also in the impact that we can make on the IP system - to make it faster, more accessible, more transparent and efficient, and more harmonised. Our close collaboration with ECTA enables us to follow trends closely, exchange best practices, and drive together improvements of the Benelux IP system for the benefits of its users."This partnership is part of ECTA’s broader initiative to strengthen ties with regional and national IP Offices, in line with ECTA President’s Strategic Plan 2020-2026. Other similar MoUs have already been concluded, reinforcing ECTA’s engagement at a local level.   

The EUIPO has recently launched a redesigned EUIPN website, aimed at improving user experience and access to information.Updates include a redesigned European Cooperation Projects page with a new Virtual Communities section, and a merged News and Events section featuring new free-text search and filters. The Tools and Practices sections have also been updated, with a link to the IP Legislative and Practice Repository added.Both old and new websites will run in parallel for a limited time to ease the transition.To find out more, please read here.

We inform ECTA members that the revised EUIPO Rules on Mediation, to which ECTA contributed through its Mediation Committee, entered into force on 14 July 2025.The updated rules aim to provide a simplified, clearer, and more efficient process to support the swift resolution of intellectual property disputes.The new rules apply to all mediation requests submitted on or after 14 July 2025 and can be consulted here.

We are pleased to inform ECTA members that the EUIPO Boards of Appeal will host the 5th edition of the IP Mediation Conference in Malta on 16-17 October 2025.The conference will bring together key stakeholders in IP mediation and ADR, including judges, lawyers, mediators, business leaders, and representatives from EU institutions and academia, who will exchange insights, best practices, and emerging trends in the field.As the event will be hybrid, participants will be able to join in-person or online.To find out more and register, please click here.