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Strongest bank brands surviving recession
A 2010 index of global banking brands has revealed that the banks with the strongest brands are faring best as the market recovers.
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February 08 2010
BOIP director may have known undisclosed Onel facts
The director general of the Benelux Office of Intellectual Property alluded to crucial facts about the Onel Case before they were filed, it has emerged. Anonymous sources have suggested to WTR that this may indicate that the BOIP itself is behind the case.
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February 05 2010
Onel mystery grows as complainant speaks out on controversial ruling
The complainant in the hotly debated Onel Case has told WTR that its appeal against the controversial ruling will be filed next week, but refused to comment on whether it had engineered the case to test CTM law.
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February 04 2010
More featuresFeatures
The STIckler: inside the latest trademark protection gTLD discussion
As it becomes clear that the forthcoming expansion of the domain space is still being stymied by trademark concerns, WTR examines the latest episode in the unfolding drama.
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February 09 2010
Losing definition: the global debate over 'counterfeit' drugs
As Kenya moves to implement its controversial Anti-counterfeit Act, which effectively outlaws generic drugs, WTR examines the problem with the term 'counterfeit medicine' and why it troubles brand owners around the world.
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February 02 2010
Position vacant: inside OHIM's presidential recruitment drive
The race for the president's chair at OHIM is underway. WTR outlines the selection process and examines commentators' suggestions on how it could be improved.
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January 26 2010
On the up: law firm merger trends in 2010
Analysts predict that 2010 will see law firms regain market confidence and begin repositioning for a new era in legal services. With mergers central to this transition, WTR asks what impact they will have in the market.
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January 19 2010
More updatesUpdates
LIFE BLOG and LIFE held to be confusingly similar
In Nokia Oyj v OHIM, the General Court has upheld a decision of the Board of Appeal of OHIM in which the latter had held that there was a likelihood of confusion between Nokia Oyj's LIFE BLOG mark and Medion AG's earlier registered trademark LIFE. The incorporation of the word 'life' into composite trademarks had previously been considered by the ECJ in Medion.
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February 08 2010
Israel
Lower threshold of registrability applied in REMEDE Case
In an appeal against the refusal of the trademark examiner to register the trademarks LABORATOIRE REMEDE and REMEDE SPA, the deputy commissioner of patents, trademarks and designs has held that, when a trademark application filed in Israel is based on a registration for the same mark in the applicant's country of origin, a lower threshold of registrability on absolute grounds will apply.
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February 08 2010
International
BOIP takes a stand on what constitutes genuine use of a CTM
In a controversial decision that could be detrimental to Community trademark owners, the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property has ruled that use of a CTM in one member state is not sufficient to constitute genuine use of the mark in the European Union within the meaning of Article 15 of the Community Trademark Regulation.
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February 08 2010
European Union
VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK springs to victory
In Audi AG v OHIM, the ECJ has set aside a judgment of the CFI and annulled a decision of the Second Board of Appeal of OHIM in which the latter had rejected the application for the registration of the mark VORSPRUNG DURCH TECHNIK. This represents a major victory for Audi AG, which had been trying to register the slogan 'Vorsprung durch Technik' (German for 'advancement through technology') for many years.
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February 05 2010
Spain
Unfair competition law should not be invoked to resolve trademark disputes
In the dispute between Joma Sport SA and Cadena Joma's SL over the use of the JOMA mark, the Spanish Supreme Court has again considered the relationship between trademark rights and unfair competition law. The court confirmed that the unfair competition legislation should not be invoked to resolve standard trademark infringement disputes.
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February 05 2010
China
First guidance issued on application of dilution principle
The decision in Inner Mongolia Yi Li Industrial Group Corporation v Trademark Review and Adjudication Board represents the first consideration of dilution by a Chinese court since the issuance of the Supreme People’s Court's interpretation on the protection of well-known marks. It illustrates how the question of dilution will affect current China Trademark Office and Trademark Review and Adjudication Board practice.
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February 05 2010
