WTR 1000 2021 available now; Coca-Cola joins corporates calling for diversity; behind the scenes at Philip Morris International; and much more
Everything we covered on WTR over the past seven days – and all you need to know from the world of trademarks to set yourself up for the start of another busy week.
Monday 8 February
We took a closer look at a new app designed to appraise the resale of designer handbags and revolutionise the second-hand market. But experts warn that it could create opportunities for counterfeiters. Read more
In the first of a two-part series, Wanhuida Intellectual Property partners Huang Hui and Paul Ranjard outlined the biggest decisions on trademark refusal, oppositions and invalidations on relative grounds to be handed down in China in 2020. Read more
Continuing our two-part overview of key decisions in China over the past 12 months, Hui and Ranjard explored rulings on revocations for non-use and those illustrating the rising levels of financial compensation awarded by the courts. Read more
Plus:
- General Court upholds likelihood of confusion between bull wine marks (European Union)
- Tecme out: panel refuses to transfer ‘tecme.com’ and enters finding of RDNH (International)
Tuesday 9 February
Tuesday’s news stories considered the impact of the coup in Myanmar on trademark operations, a joint EPO-EUIPO report showing the benefits of owning IP rights (especially as an SME), Under Armour’s dropped NFL licensing deal, and much more. Read more
Reed Smith’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) global chair, John Iino, and Alan York, partner chair of the firm’s LGBT+ Business Inclusion Group, PRISM, offered insight into their DE&I policies. Read more
Electronic Arts revealed plans to revive its popular EA Sports college football video game franchise without student-athlete names, images and likenesses. As the focus on the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s rules intensifies, we asked whether things could change before the relaunch. Read more
In exclusive comments to WTR, Clubhouse Ltd CEO and owner of registered trademark CLUBHOUSE Alexander Frederiksen voiced frustration that his app has been removed from stores, characterising Apple and Google as “gatekeepers above the law”. Read more
Plus:
- General Court denies likelihood of confusion between pharmaceutical marks containing ‘mar’ element (European Union)
- Trademark Office recognises notoriety of MIFARMA mark in Class 35 (Peru)
Wednesday 10 February
With the covid-19 pandemic continuing to disrupt IP operations around the world, the Hong Kong IP Office announced that its public service counter will reopen on set days of the week, while the Slovakian office introduced further closures. Read more
WTR caught up with Hernan Albamonte, Philip Morris International’s head of illicit trade prevention for the United States, to hear how the company is tackling IP infringement and illicit trade in all of its guises. Read more
Plus:
- Federal Chamber of Appeals considers protection of civil names in jewellery shop dispute (Argentina)
- Amount of damages getting higher in Chinese trademark cases (China)
Thursday 11 February
We examined a new research paper that claims use of the term ‘consumer’ in trademark law is causing linguistic bias that could be defining the public in a “patronizing, biased, insulting and indulgent” manner, and urges lawmakers to rethink use of the ‘derogatory’ label. Read more
Plus:
- General Court: milk substitute slogan has minimum degree of distinctive character required by Article 7(1)(b) (European Union)
- Kazakh Customs introduces online customs watch applications (Kazakhstan)
- An essential guide to filing trademarks in Uganda (International report: Africa)
- What the amendment to Article 4 of the Chinese Trademark Law means for bad-faith trademark filings (International report: China)
- How to protect your corporate identity through slogans (International report: Russia)
- Tefal fails to secure trademark protection for its red dot despite survey evidence (International report: United Kingdom)
Friday 12 February
Friday’s news round-up looked at Amazon’s counterfeit lawsuit blitz, Apple and Prepear’s dispute settlement, Bumble’s $8.2 billion valuation, PepsiCo’s Aunt Jemima rebrand, and much more. Read more
WTR data analysis revealed that French domestic brands are IP savvy and particularly active users of the Madrid System, as France records its fourth year of trademark growth, hitting the 100,000 application mark. Read more
The 2021 edition of the WTR 1000 went live on the WTR platform. Now in its 10th year, the publication identifies the leading trademark practitioners and firms from around the globe and has firmly established itself as the definitive ‘go-to’ resource for those seeking legal trademark expertise. Read more
Plus:
- Lifestyle Equities v Hornby Street: UK courts will vigorously protect arbitration agreements (United Kingdom)
- Trademark owner successfully recovers trademark, digital applications and domain names both in Uruguay and abroad (Uruguay)
Saturday 13 February
Coca-Cola has become the latest company to publicly detail the diversity, inclusion and belonging commitments that it expects of law firms in its external network. Saturday’s opinion piece predicted that it will be far from the last to do so. Read more
