Insights
Chanel loses Chinese trademark infringement case involving ‘double C’ logo
By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on October 17, 2019
Background Chanel owns the registered trademark (the ‘double C’ logo) in Class 14 in China. In June 2016 the Guangzhou City Haizhu District Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC) raided a jewellery store and found goods resembling the shape of Chanel’s ‘double C’ logo. Representatives from Chanel later confirmed that the goods were fake. The...
Filed under: Insights
Tags: chanel, china, IP court, trademarks, unfair competition
Denmark champions patents as fundamental to preventing climate change
By AWA | Posted on September 26, 2019
Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Simon Kollerup stated that protecting the intellectual property rights of innovative green companies is essential. Kollerup’s comments come as a Joint Report from the European Patent Office (EPO) and European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) published on IPR-intensive industries and economic performance in the European Union. The...
Filed under: Insights
Tags: CCMT, climate-change, Denmark, EPO, EUIPO, green innovations, green transition, patents
Draft regulations cement China’s emerging position on tackling infringement
By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on September 11, 2019
Draft regulations from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) formalise China’s changing stance on asserting punitive damages for infringement, severely punishing criminal acts regarding IP rights and stating that IP rights should be fully protected. Background The NDRC leads China’s macroeconomic planning. It formulates and implements strategies for national economic and social development and...
Protection services available for top-level adult domains
By AWA | Posted on September 5, 2019
ICM Registry, operator of sponsored top-level domains (sTLDs) such as .XXX, .PORN, .ADULT and .SEX, has launched a blocking service allowing trademark holders to protect their brands from top-level adult domains. AdultBlock and AdultBlock+ ensure trademarks cannot be registered under the four adult-related sTLDs. A service was previously available for the .XXX sTLD, but that...
Tags: domain names, Dotkeeper, top-level domains, trademarks
Brexit may stall Germany’s ratification of the UPCA
By AWA | Posted on August 26, 2019
The German Justice Ministry expressed earlier this month that the government will not ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) until the implications of Brexit are clear. A letter from the Ministry in answer to questions of parliament stated: “The issue of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (so-called Brexit) and...
Tags: Brexit, EU, Germany, patents, unitary patent, UPC, UPCA
EPO and EUIPO study finds link between IPR and SME growth
By AWA | Posted on July 9, 2019
A recent study by EPO and EUIPO explores the relationship between prior IPR activities of SMEs and the likelihood of experiencing a high-growth period. The purpose of the research was to investigate the following questions: Can the filing of IP rights be used as a reliable predictor of the likelihood that an SME will experience...
Tags: designs, EPO, EUIPO, high-growth, IPR, patents, SMEs, trademarks
China Tackles Bad-faith Trademark Registrations
By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on June 4, 2019
The China National Intellectual Property Administration has published Draft Regulations in an effort to tackle bad-faith trademark applications. In this article, we take a closer look at the (i) Draft Regulations for Regulating the Application for the Registration of Trademarks, (ii) revisions to the PRC Trademark Law (wef November 1, 2019) and (iii) recently issued...
Tags: AIPLA, Bad faith, Beijing Court, china, Guidelines, INTA, regulations, trademark law, trademarks
Case highlights difficulty in establishing use-based rights in Denmark under new Trademark Act
By AWA | Posted on June 3, 2019
The new Trademark Act came into force in Denmark at the start of 2019. Amendments to the act include an updated fee structure, a fast-track scheme and changes to the application date for renewals. The amendments came further to the EU Trademarks Directive (2015/2436), with member states having until 14 January 2019 to transpose the...
Filed under: Insights
Tags: Denmark, EUIPO, geographical scope, local significance, maritime and commercial court, online exposure, trademark act, use-based IP rights
Beijing High Court rejects Thermos’ appeal in invalidation proceedings
By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on May 28, 2019
Over a decade ago, a Chinese company filed for the mark TILIR THERMO VOGUE in Class 21 for use on goods including vacuum bottles. Attempts by insulated container manufacturer Thermos to invalidate this mark over the past three years were put to an end by a recent decision from the Beijing High Court. Background In...
Filed under: Insights
Tags: Bad faith, china, Infringement, registration, Thermos, trademark law, trademarks
A quick guide to IP due diligence for investors
By Thomas Ewing | Posted on April 1, 2019
Thorough evaluation of a company’s assets is a crucial part of any investor’s acquisition strategy but knowing what to look for from an IP perspective throws up a myriad of challenges. Tom Ewing from AWA Strategy provides a quick guide to IP due diligence for investors and advisors. For venture capitalists Where an investment warrants...
Tags: Due Diligence, investors, IP strategy, target, venture capitalists
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