Latest blog articles
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Trademark squatting has been a serious issue in China now, especially for foreign companies planning to enter the Chinese market. On November 4th 2019, Beijing Municipal High People's Court issued a second-instance judgment on the “MUJI trademark infringement case”, which rejected the appeal brought...
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The grant of gene patents has been a highly contentious issue in the EU and US for many years. A new bill in the US proposes to lift the currently banned subject matter, with potentially severe effects.
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Last Sunday, when we all got the government alert on our mobile phones to stay at least 1.5 metres away from each other, we were reminded to ensure ‘social distancing’ as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We must follow this advice as it is in our common interest. Although, I don’t like...
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Comparative law and multiculturalism can evolve together in the classroom at schools of law and result in a fruitful combination. Their interplay should be encouraged.
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The coronavirus pandemic is certainly the greatest crisis that most of us here in Europe have been confronted with in our lifetime. It affects the lives of every one of us, our families, loved ones, our colleagues and neighbours. The fact that this is a new virus which leads to a contagious disease...
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There seems to be only one topic in the media these days—the new coronavirus and the disease it is causing, COVID-19. In addition to television, the internet and the newspapers, we are being bombarded with opinions and news on social media. Our recommendation is to read those with caution...
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With the prevailing Coronavirus (COVID-19) it is recommended to work from home as much as possible. For frontier workers, however, working from home can be disadvantageous. This is because they then work in another country from one day to the next. International and European rules on the...
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Monday, 9 March 2020 marked the 100th day in office of the new European Commission under President Von der Leyen. The Commission had promised to deliver a number of priorities set out in the President’s Political Guidelines by this self-imposed deadline – priorities that, however, do not include any...
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The corona virus is causing education to move from offline to online. In the Netherlands, the government and higher education institutions announced last Thursday (12 March 2020) that all in-person education has to be replaced by online education. Online means more reliance on technology. So here...
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Asylum-seekers at the Greek island of Lesbos are in a vulnerable position. They claim basic human rights and hold the Europeans accountable. What can a human rights scholar do? His role is limited. When there is no political will, compassion and solidarity are gone.