New EU Trade Secrets Directive: key points for marketers
The wide definition of “trade secrets” in the new eponymous directive means that marketers should not ignore its potential implications. Ben Dunham reports.
All Articles in Intellectual property
BMW sues BMW specialist Technosport London Ltd over use of BMW brands
“Technosport are the BMW and Mini specialist garage for servicing & maintenance in London” says the search engine result. How much use can a non-authorised garage make of car brands? Kate Robinson reports the judgement in BMW vs Technosport.
German Federal Court lays down online review guidelines
A dentist received a poor review on a website but denied he had ever treated the reviewer and sued the web portal operator. What duties did the portal operator have to verify the review? Stephan Bahner reports.
“Hot Sox” trade mark for hosiery challenged
ECJ limits Daimler AG’s trade mark rights against Budapest dealer
ECJ limits Daimler AG’s trade mark rights against Budapest dealer Egyud Garage became a former authorised Mercedes Benz dealer. Egyud took steps to stop unauthorised online ads that continued to claim this. Daimler wasn’t satisfied and sued. How far was Egyud obliged to go? Stephen Groom reports.
Kit Kat bars and London cabs in bids to register IP rights
The theoretical ability of brand owners to secure virtual monopoly rights in the shape of their products by trade mark registration is not in doubt, but success is by no means assured as two recent cases show. Barney Sich reports.
IOC issues Rio new blogging guidelines for athletes
With the Rio Olympics now less than seven months away, the IOC has published “Social and Digital Media Guidelines for persons accredited to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad Rio 2016.” Nick Johnson reports.
Caspian restaurant case has stew of issues
Bad faith, passing off and trade mark infringement were just some of the allegations bandied around in a dispute over who was entitled to operate a pizza restaurant under the name Caspian. Varuni Paranavitane reports.
Five stripe trainer motif refused registration
K-Swiss, Inc applied in 2013 to register as a Community trade mark for athletic shoes a figurative mark consisting of a five stripe motif. The application was initially refused as devoid of distinctive character but K-Swiss appealed. Sara McDiamond takes up the story.
Intellectual Property Office sues “Intellectual Property Agency Ltd”
The IPO was not impressed by a confusingly named trader sending renewal notices to trade mark and patent owners, demanding more than the IPO’s standard fees. It sued, alleging passing off and trade mark infringement. Varuni Paranavitane reports.
Fast food wars as In-N-Out Burger sues DoorDash in California
US chain In-N-Out Burger has sued take-out middleman “DoorDash” alleging it is using In-N-Out’s trade marks and selling its food in breach of the chain’s rights. Jamie Heatly reports on a case with interesting implications given the burgeoning takeaway delivery market.
Ryanair calls on Google to take more action to protect consumers from alleged “lookalike” screenscraper sites such as eDreams
Budget airline Ryanair has called on Google to take more action to protect consumers from “lookalike” screenscraper sites. eDreams is one of the sites Ryanair has named, but eDreams denies any wrongdoing. Thomas Spanyol reports.
