Protecting an icon is not easy, especially when the
company’s entire legal department consists of only
one lawyer and his assistant. Luckily, the man in
charge of the ZIPPO brand has developed a system as
reliable as the product itself
Famous the world over for its neutrality and efficiency,
Switzerland has a thing or two to teach the
international community about resolving trademark
disputes. Its legal market for trademark services is also
one that rights holders would be cuckoo to ignore
The dispute that broke out 10 years ago in the United
States over the rights to the mark HAVANA CLUB for
rum is not your average trademark case: here legal
issues mix with hot politics. But while everyone’s
attention focuses on either the legal or political
aspects of the dispute, these should not distract from
the reality that, as in all trademark disputes, what is
ultimately at stake is big business
Robert M O'Connell Jr
A mature market and effective laws do not guarantee
that Japan will become the world's most advanced
IP-based nation. However, new case law and recent
changes to trademark legislation will prove very
helpful in helping the country to meet the challenge
its political leaders have set
Yukukazu Hanamizu
With the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the
European Union set to occur on January 1 2007, the big
question is whether the two countries are ready to take
their place in the CTM system. While there is still some
work to do, the signs are that they are both well
prepared to meet the challenges ahead
Dragosh Marginean and Michael Andrew Enake
McDonald’s attracted great swathes of negative
column inches when it decided to object to a
trademark application filed by an Australian IP lawyer.
The case highlights the dilemmas facing many big
companies as they fight to maintain the integrity of
their brands
The South African courts have been busy developing
the interpretation of statutory law over the past
couple of years. In particular, the spotlight has been
focused on enforcement of trademarks by way of
dilution and the related balancing of the rights of
freedom of expression and IP ownership on the one
hand, and the practical difficulties arising from the
registration of container marks on the other
The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property
handles an awful lot with a staff of only 220
individuals. Besides the traditional functions of
examination and registration of IP rights, the institute
also elaborates Swiss IP policy and promotes Swiss IP
interests at international level
