Retail

Commenting on the EPO’s AI discussions Partner Mike Jennings attended the EPO’s AI conference on 30 May, commenting:  “The EPO deserves praise for investing in an excellent discussion with industry and members of the judiciary about the future for AI patenting. The 30 May 2018 conference was part of that discussion. The consultation provided a good… Read more »

“If your hair is done properly and you’re wearing good shoes, you can get away with anything.” – Iris Apfel Introduction Not according to the EUIPO in the recent decision in Opposition No. B002757717 of J. Choo Limited v Liangliang Ren, when the Opposition Division handed down a decision to reject the mark: for “Electric… Read more »

“It’s immoral!” – Pitfalls of failing to register your trademarks; increased risks in China. Background: For a number of reasons, it is generally recognised as best practice is to secure a trade mark registration for your brands. Despite your best endeavours, however, trade mark applications can be rejected on a range of different grounds, including… Read more »

Transliterations When filing your trade marks overseas, it is prudent to consider whether it is necessary to file translations and/or transliterations into the local language/script. A trade mark registration in one language will not automatically give you the right to prevent third parties from adopting a translation or a transliteration of your mark. As Trade… Read more »

Anti-counterfeiting 2018 – A Global Guide Trade Mark Associate Louise Foster and Litigation Associate Dr. Varuni Paranavitane recently wrote the UK section of the ‘Anti-Counterfeiting 2018 – A Global Guide’. You can read the UK section below, or find the full guide and other articles published by the World Trade Mark Review here: www.WorldTrademarkReview.com.  This… Read more »

Is it true that if you don’t use it you lose it? In nearly all territories, trade mark proprietors will come across issues of trade mark use at some point in the life of a trade mark. In countries such as the USA, use of a trade mark is a central theme in the trade… Read more »

In March 2018 the General Court held that the Registered Community Design No 257001-0001 owned by Crocs, Inc was invalid as it was lacking in novelty on the basis of prior disclosures of its design. A proprietor of a Registered Community Design (RCD) right has a 25 year monopoly on its design which gives them… Read more »

UK shoppers spend almost £1 in every £5 via the internet, with 59% of online sales made through smartphones or tablets.1 With accessibility and ease to shop online for just about anything, it is not difficult to be drawn to third-party sites offering seemingly unbeatable prices for products and, in particular for designer goods. The… Read more »

Article 2 Chinese sub-classification system China adopts the Nice Classification of Goods and Services, but additionally uses a sub-classification system which is unique to China. In China, each of the Nice classes has been further divided into sub-classes of goods or services. The sub-classes are structured according to the features of the goods and services… Read more »

Trade Mark Applications seeking to protect the retailing or ‘bringing together’ of services.