Zacco - 360° Intellectual Property

Congratulations to Casper Struve, Lone Prehn and Knud Wallberg, three of our colleagues who have been listed as Thought Leaders or Recommended within the Who's Who Legal for 2024.   The results have been announced following months of research, including over 40,000 data points and 1,300 surveys and research from clients, general counsel, private practitioners and other peers across 83 countries. The Who’s who Legal: Intellectual Property (WWL:IP) rankings recognises many of those who make an impact in the fields of intellectual property and within related legal matters, and those who go above and beyond as pre-eminent names in their respective fields.   Congratulations to Casper, Lone and Knud, much deserved.   #ZaccoIP360 

We are pleased to welcome Nicolas Grilly to Zacco as our new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective 19th August 2024. Nicolas joins us with over 25 years of experience in leading digitalisation and innovation roles, from startups and scale-ups to global public listed companies.   A technologist at heart, Nicolas founded and managed one of the first web agencies in France almost three decades ago. Since then, his career has taken him across senior, leadership and C-level roles within software engineering, consulting, digitalisation and innovation. He has built his career bridging the gap between businesses and the opportunities presented by technology. He co-founded a technology consultancy and a SaaS company in France before moving to Sweden to join Northvolt, where he served as Director of Software and then Head of Digitalisation. He joins us now from Husqvarna Group, where he was VP of Group Innovation, responsible for driving the innovation strategy.   “Nicolas brings with him extensive technical knowledge, leadership expertise, and experience from leading innovators” says Antonio Marsico, CEO of Zacco. “He will be a single point of contact for all technological matters, responsible for our technology and digital strategy, integrating both internal and external-facing functions. I am looking forward to working with him to explore how we can create a unique digital experience for both our clients and our colleagues.”   Nicolas shares his excitement about joining Zacco: “I am looking forward to joining Zacco, a household name in the IP industry. The way the company thinks about IP in terms of three categories of intangible assets that complement each other — innovation assets, identity assets, and digital assets — really resonates with me. I’m eager to work with existing and emerging technologies to deliver products and services that not only meet but exceed our customers’ expectations."   Nicolas will be based in Stockholm. #ZaccoIP360

The UKIPO has issued a fresh warning to rights owners following a recent jump in the number of unsolicited and misleading payment requests. This follows shortly after the EUIPO hosted its 9th Anti-Scam Network meeting in May of this year. The use of misleading invoices has become an increasingly popular in recent years, with criminals targeting rights owners with official looking demands for payments. All rights owners may be targeted, but the UKIPO suggests that trademark customers are the most common targets. The invoices range from the dubious, such as charging an inflated price for a service that may be available cheaper or free directly from the IPO, to completely fraudulent, where criminals will send a fake payment request including IPO branding, trademarks and even fake signatures from IPO employees. The UKIPO suggest you should never pay any invoices sent by unsolicited organisations, and should instead report them to the UKIPO. The EUIPO have stated that they will never send any invoices by mail or email, and that all payments must be made through their payment portal. To improve the security of communications further, they also recommend using their electronic filing form for applications for registration of an EU Trade Mark (EUTM) or Community Design. As with most scams, fake communications will often attempt to create a sense of urgency, usually by threatening the loss of rights unless payment is made within a short timeframe. Be cautious of any communication that tries to rush you into making a decision and, if in doubt, verify the communication through a known legitimate source, such as your Zacco representative, or through the official contact details for the UKIPO or EUIPO that can be found through their websites. If Zacco is registered as your agent on record, and is responsible for managing your IP rights, then we would handle any relevant communication, payments and administration. We would therefore suggest you check with your representative at Zacco before making any payments. #ZaccoIP360 #MisleadingInvoices

Were you able to catch Zacco’s latest webinar on Corporate Domain Management? If not, you’re in luck because it’s now available online.   Magnus Ljungdahl, Niclas Jonsson and Kristian Elftorp were joined by Phil Myers, Commercial Editor at Managing IP, to explore the intricate role that domains play in securing and enforcing your online presence, and the importance of aligning your domain, IP and OBP strategies, and stakeholders. From domain acquisitions to disputes and online infringements, modern corporate domain management means much more than buying a domain name and keeping it up to date. It can form an integral part of strengthening your brand and protecting its integrity, guarding against misuse, fraud and cyber threats, as well as building recognition and trust.   You can find the webinar through the link below: https://lnkd.in/dfKBKdsN #ZaccoIP360 #ManagingIP #CorporateDomainManagement

On a daily basis, we see clients being advised to publish a DMARC policy with ‘none’ and without a reporting address. Advice that is meant to meet Google and Yahoo's requirements. However, DMARC is not about meeting the specific demands of Google and Yahoo; it is about gaining control and visibility over which sources are sending emails from your domain names and helping recipients determine if an email is legitimate or not. Therefore, the goal should be to implement at least a ‘quarantine’ policy and preferably a ‘reject’ policy with reporting. This will prevent spoofing and give you control over your outbound email flow. Having a DMARC policy set to ‘none’ without a reporting address is nothing more than a quick fix to meet the current requirements from Google and Yahoo. These requirements might change quickly, for example by mandating the implementation of a ‘quarantine’ policy, which means the work still needs to be done. It's better to get it right from the beginning. Proper and secure DMARC implementation can take some time, so we recommend getting started now. For a DMARC policy tailored to your business needs, please get in touch with Victor Schönemann or any of our Digital Brand experts. For details regarding the requirements, see also our earlier post in this matter: https://lnkd.in/dmTEbeq2 #ZaccoIP360 #DMARC

As the summer vacation approaches, we often see a rise in the number of phishing attempts as criminals know that people may be more likely to let their guard down during this time. The offices might be less busy, people might be distracted by thoughts of sunny beaches and those already on vacation have handed over their work, or forwarded emails, to colleagues who may be less likely to notice an unusual email or request. Criminals know that people might be more preoccupied in the lead up to vacation and this represents a perfect time to target them. Remember to stay vigilant, even during your vacation, and there are some simple rules and guidelines that you can follow that will help to mitigate the risk of becoming a victim of malicious or criminal communication: · Never share confidential information with a colleague without first verifying their identity. Use caution when sharing personal data.   · If you are contacted by someone you don’t normally speak with, and they are asking unexpected or revealing questions, do not be afraid to ask to call or email them back.   · Always use a trusted source to verify phone numbers, email or business addresses, and always double check account numbers if you are in any doubt · Be cautious of any communication that attempts to create a sense of urgency. If someone is in a rush, this should raise a red flag. · If you notice changes in behaviour or use of language during regular communications with a colleague or client, this should raise a red flag. We hope that you get the opportunity for some well-earned rest and relaxation over the summer but remember to remain vigilant, and be cautious of the impact of accidentally sharing any private or confidential information. #ZaccoIP360 #RemainVigilant

Huge congratulations to our colleagues Esmeray Ustunyagiz-Klemp, PhD and Bernd Lienau, both of whom have recently passed the European Qualifying Exams (EQE) and will soon be able to call themselves European Patent Attorneys. The EQE is considered to be one of the most demanding professional exams in Europe and demonstrates each candidates ability to represent their clients in EPO proceedings. Congratulations also to those who have passed parts of the exams. We would like to extend our best wishes from all of our colleagues here at Zacco. This is a fantastic achievement and we are very happy to be able to celebrate it with you. Well done. #ZaccoIP360 #IPRights #EuropeanPatentAttorney

This year, four of our colleagues will be in our booth at IP Service World in Munich in November. Will we meet you there? 🙋♀️   Karin Kärvling Søholt, Peggy Bengtsson, Claudia Randrup and Agatha Bergman will all be meeting international clients and peers from across a range of IP Services.  Karin and Peggy will also discuss the practical implications of automation and introducing new working styles as a means to improve efficiency and cut costs in their round table, titled ‘When cutting costs just won’t cut it!’   Our calendar is now open for meetings and we would welcome the chance to catch up, and to explore what the future of IP Services might mean for you and your organisation. For more information, or to book a meeting, reach out to one of our colleagues directly or visit our website at zaccoipservices.com   #ZaccoIP360 #IPServiceWorld

Zacco, one of Europe’s leading IP firms today announced that the board has appointed Antonio Marsico as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1st July 2024.   Antonio will take over from Mats Boström, who has served as CEO since 2013 and after a decade of growth and innovation has made the decision to pursue new challenges.   “I am delighted to welcome Antonio to the post of CEO” says Selva Selvaratnam, Chairman of Zacco’s Board. “He understands and shares Zacco’s values and brings with him a high level of strategic thinking within professional services, most recently from his position heading up the Swedish and then Nordic region of Avanade, a prominent IT and professional services consultancy. I am confident that he will further develop Zacco, continuing on our path to becoming a leading global IP firm.”   Antonio Marsico has been Country Managing Director of Avanade Sweden since 2018, recently taking over as General Manager of the Nordic region. He has previously held leadership positions throughout Avanade in Italy after joining the joint venture from Hewlett Packard, where he managed consultancy deliveries and cross-purpose consultancy solutions. He is an Italian citizen, with a Master of Science in Software Engineering and has been living in Stockholm since 2018. He will relocate to Zacco’s main office in Copenhagen.   “I am excited to be taking over as CEO from Mats Boström, expanding our already impressive network of intellectual property expertise and capitalising on our ongoing investment in technology such as our IP management platform, IPview. It will be an honour to lead a company that is so prominent within the field of IP, whose brand is well recognized thanks to professionals who pioneer in providing intellectual property protection that stretches from patents, trademarks, online brand protection and beyond. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues, our clients, and the management team on the next steps in our journey to redefine how an IP firm should operate”. #ZaccoIP360