trademarks

Banner image with text: 'Stay informed with the latest IP news' and the following words listed: Insights, Interviews, Webinars.

Bad news for WhatsApp as Norwegian Board of Appeal refuses to register logo

By AWA | Posted on November 23, 2020

With a reported total of more than 500 million users globally, many of us will have used or at least heard of WhatsApp. In a recent decision dated 24 September 2020, the Board of Appeal for Industrial Property Rights ruled against WhatsApp in its appeal against an earlier decision of the Norwegian Industrial Property Office...

Tags: distinctiveness, NIPO, Norway, trademarks, What's App

How the amended Norwegian Trade Marks Act will affect applicants and owners

By AWA | Posted on October 30, 2020

The upcoming amendments to the Norwegian Trade Marks Act align law and practice with the EEA, but also provides opportunities for trademark owners and applicants in terms of enhanced registration and protection scope as well as considerations for alternate filing strategies The European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Committee decided on February 7, 2020, to implement...

Tags: EEA, NIPO, Norway, Trademark Directive (EU 2015/2436), trademarks

China issues Opinions on destroying infringing and counterfeit goods

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on October 15, 2020

On August 13, 2020, nine of China’s authorities including the Supreme People’s Court and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released the Opinions on Strengthening the Destruction of Infringing and Counterfeit Goods (Opinions). The nine authorities involved are: National Leading Group for Combating Infringement and Counterfeiting, Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China,...

Tags: china, counterfeit, destruction, Infringement, trademarks

CNIPA publishes trademark infringement criteria

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on October 15, 2020

To help strengthen and guide trademark law enforcement, provide uniform criteria for law enforcement, strengthen the protection of exclusive rights to use trademarks and create a good business environment, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has enacted the Criteria for Judging Trademark Infringement (Criteria), which went into effect on June 15, 2020. The Criteria...

Tags: china, CNIPA, Criteria, Infringement, trademarks

Amendments to Hong Kong’s Trade Marks Ordinance paves the way for Madrid Protocol

By AWA | Posted on July 7, 2020

The Trade Marks (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 was gazetted on June 19, 2020. While the Amendment does not introduce any substantive changes to the underlying Hong Kong trademark laws, it does provide a basis in Hong Kong Law for the application of the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid...

Tags: Hong Kong, Intellectual Property, IP, Madrid Protocol, trademarks, WIPO

Brands must take extra caution against counterfeits during Covid-19 pandemic

By Mette Parlev | Posted on June 5, 2020

Enhanced online brand protection and anti-counterfeiting measures are needed due to the current pandemic: as demand from e-commerce consumers increases, so does the market for counterfeits. Background A recent report from EUROPOL, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, provides an overview of how criminals are adapting to profit from the covid-19 pandemic. Findings include that...

Tags: anti-counterfeiting, Coronavirus, COVID-19, enforcement, EU, Europe, trademarks

Intellectual Property and Domains for Start-ups and Scaleups

By Joacim Lydén, Kristian Martinsson | Posted on May 22, 2020

Explores the essentials when it comes to IP and domain names for start-ups and scaleups. An expert panel focuses on practical advice and business tools available in terms of branding and trademarks, innovations and patents as well as digital assets like domain names. Hosted by value creation specialist Cathrin Johansson with expert panellists Kristian Martinsson and...

Tags: domains, inventions, IPR, patents, scaleups, startups, trademarks

Punitive damages case appears in list of top 10 IP cases from China’s Supreme People’s Court

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on May 20, 2020

On April 21, 2020, China’s Supreme People’s Court released a list of the top 10 intellectual property law cases of 2019. The cases cover patent (invention and design), trademark, copyright and unfair competition. One of the cases selected involved a US Pilates company where punitive damages were awarded. While punitive damages are well-established in terms...

Tags: Balanced Body, Infringement, IPR, punitive damages, SPC, statutory damages, trademarks, Yongkang Elina

WIPO panel finds that Danish start-up Acubit engaged in reverse domain name hijacking

By AWA | Posted on April 29, 2020

Technology start-up Acubit claimed that Danish trademark rules and practice should assign domain names to the relevant trademark owner. A panel from the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre disagreed, as the UDRP governs in case of reverse domain name hijacking.  Background Founded in 2016, Acubit A/S is a Danish start-up, which develops technology to locate people and objects around...

Tags: Bad faith, Denmark, domain hijacking, domains, mediation, trademarks, UDRP, WIPO

China further curbs bad-faith trademark applications

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on April 20, 2020

Provisions enacted alongside China’s recently amended Trademark Law seek to effectively regulate bad-faith trademark filings including penalties through the nation’s social credit system In response to the bad-faith application regime, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) published Several Provisions for Regulating the Application for the Registration of Trademarks (Draft) on February 12, 2019. The...

Tags: applications, Bad faith, china, CNIPA, IP, malicious, registration, trademarks

Recent contributors

Laura Stravinskaite

Laura Stravinskaite

Senior Associate, Attorney at Law

Ai-Leen Lim

Ai-Leen Lim

Partner, Attorney at Law, Group Vice President

Ashley Zhao

Ashley Zhao

Partner, Attorney at Law, Business Area Manager

Troels Peter Rørdam

Troels Peter Rørdam

Senior Counsel, European Patent Attorney

Mikkel Roed Trier

Mikkel Roed Trier

Partner, European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative, Business Area Manager