Skype admits to losing trade mark battle with Sky
Skype is engaged in a battle to keep its brand. Sky – the broadcaster which also is an Internet service provider and telephone service provider – claims that the Voice over Internet Protocol company’s...
View ArticleNumbers can be registered as trade marks but hard hurdle of distinctiveness...
The European Court of Justice has ruled that numbers can be registered as trade marks in the European Union. However, they would need to be shown to be distinctive and not descriptive. They were ruling...
View ArticleECJ allows national law to stop registration of famous people’s names even...
Elio Fiorucci, the fashion designer, sold the creative rights including his trade marks to Edwin. Edwin later registered “ELIO FIORUCCI” as a European Community Trade Mark. Fiorucci asked for the mark...
View ArticleOHIM and European Union General Court should have considered whether wine...
Freixenet applied to register the features of a wine bottle as a European Community Trade Mark. In particular, it claimed the colour “golden matt” and described the trade mark as a “white polished...
View ArticleLindt’s Chocolate rabbit lacks distinctiveness for trade mark registration –...
It is now official: the popular chocolate bunnies with red ribbons produced by Lindt may be delicious, but as a trade mark they lack distinctiveness and cannot be registered. The original Community...
View ArticleSalesforce – not such a social enterprise?
Salesforce, the US-based the customer relations management software solutions and enterprise cloud company, has applied to register European Community trade marks for “SOCIAL ENTERPRISE”. Social...
View ArticleBank closes CITIGATE trade mark
IG Communications Ltd v OHIM, European Union General Court IG Communications had applied to register CITIGATE as a European Community Trade Mark. The people who owned various CITI marks including...
View ArticleEuropean Commission proposes changes to European Union trade mark law
The European Commission has issued a proposal to change European Union trade mark law. They would do the following: Harmonise the treatment between European trade marks and national marks, including...
View ArticleNo confusion for GOLDEN BALLS
Golden Balls Ltd v OHIM, EU General Court Golden Balls applied to register European Community Trade Marks for GOLDEN BALLS. The European Community Trade Marks Office (OHIM) had refused registration on...
View ArticleSo Bio…So what?
Groupe Léa Nature SA v OHIM, EU General Court The EU General Court has ruled that there was no likelihood of confusion between a figurative trade mark for SO’BiO etic as a European Community Trade Mark...
View ArticleContainer shape trade mark applicant tastes bitter ending
Giorgio Giorgis v OHIM, EU General Court The EU General Court has upheld an OHIM Board of Appeal decision to refuse to register a three dimensional trade mark on the basis of it being devoid of...
View ArticleIPO and OHIM launch licensing scheme and database for orphan works
The Intellectual Property Office has launched a licensing scheme so that people can use orphan works where they have been unable to find the copyright or licence holder after a diligent search. The IPO...
View ArticleBall back in play in EU GOLDEN BALLS dispute
Intra-Presse SAS v OHIM and Golden Balls Ltd, European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice has allowed an appeal regarding the registration of GOLDEN BALLS for dissimilar goods to those...
View ArticleNANO not allowed as registered trade mark for robots as OHIM entitled to base...
Innovation First Inc v OHIM, EU General Court The European Union General Court has rejected an appeal against refusal by OHIM (the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market) to allow the...
View ArticleOnly some limited use of trade mark not smart enough to preserve ownership...
Naazneen Investments Ltd v OHIM, EU General Court A previous owner registered SMART WATER as a European Community Trade Mark for beverages, namely water with dietary supplements, and the ownership was...
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