Tag:Europe

1
Artistic Value may Prevent Protection of the Vespa Shape as a Trade Mark in Italy
2
The Cloudy World of Look-a-Like Products – Aldi Successfully Defends Allegations of Trade Mark Infringement
3
The Battle of the Bulls: NBA Fail to Invalidate Pizza Texas Bulls Trade Mark Similar to the Chicago Bulls Logo in the United Kingdom
4
Upcoming UKIPO Representation Changes – The Effects of Brexit Continue
5
WIPO Updates Deadlines for Responses to Provisional Refusals
6
UK Trade Mark and Design Reform Consultation
7
Just Because the Court can, Doesn’t Mean it will: The Difficulty in Seeking to Avoid an Injunction Following a Finding of Copyright Infringement in the UK
8
A Lidl Decision with big Implications – UK High Court Finds that Tesco’s Clubcard Logo Infringes Lidl’s logo
9
Nothing more than Empty Words: The Difficulty with Registering Slogans as Trade Marks in the EU
10
Technical Effect Embodied in Technical Teaching

Artistic Value may Prevent Protection of the Vespa Shape as a Trade Mark in Italy

The Italian Supreme Court recently issued a decision addressing whether the Vespa shape, already protected under copyright, was precluded from registration as a 3D mark. According to the Court, a shape’s artistic value usually confers substantial value which prohibits trade mark registration under Italian law.

Read More

The Cloudy World of Look-a-Like Products – Aldi Successfully Defends Allegations of Trade Mark Infringement

Recently the High Court of Justice of England and Wales handed down its judgment in a trade mark infringement proceeding between Aldi v Thatcher’s that had been being watched by many.

Read More

The Battle of the Bulls: NBA Fail to Invalidate Pizza Texas Bulls Trade Mark Similar to the Chicago Bulls Logo in the United Kingdom

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has lost the appeal of its invalidation action against a United Kingdom (UK) trade mark filed by Pizza Texas Bulls Inc (Pizza Bulls) in classes 30, 39, and 43 in NBA Properties Inc. v. Pizza Texas Bulls Inc [2023] EWHC 3040 (Ch). Interestingly, the NBA was successful in the European Union (EU) in relation to identical marks under Opposition No B3146352, and prevented the Pizza Bulls mark being registered in the EU.

Read More

Upcoming UKIPO Representation Changes – The Effects of Brexit Continue

One of the effects of Brexit was that the UK introduced a requirement for a UK based representative for all UK national trade marks, patents and designs and international registrations designating the UK in January 2021. However, there was a grace period for comparable trade marks or re-registered designs deriving from an EU national trade mark or international registration designating the EU.

Read More

WIPO Updates Deadlines for Responses to Provisional Refusals

Businesses seeking registration of trade marks overseas will have greater clarity on deadlines for responding to provisional refusals, following an update by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). As of 1 November 2023, local intellectual property offices are required to give the holders of Madrid System international trade mark registrations (IR Holders) a minimum period of 60 days or two months to respond to provisional refusals.

Read More

UK Trade Mark and Design Reform Consultation

The UKIPO Transformation Programme

The UKIPO launched a transformation programme to modernise their trade mark and design services by the end of 2025. The aim is to replace their existing processes with a fully digitalised system in line with increased volume of work and customer demand.

Read More

Just Because the Court can, Doesn’t Mean it will: The Difficulty in Seeking to Avoid an Injunction Following a Finding of Copyright Infringement in the UK

As reported previously in our blog post here, earlier this year the High Court of England and Wales found in Lidl’s favour regarding allegations of trade mark infringement, passing off and copyright infringement by Tesco. However, Tesco has suffered a further loss following a supplementary hearing focused on what the most appropriate form of relief was for copyright infringement (although it was agreed by the parties that Lidl was entitled to an injunction in light of findings of trade mark infringement and passing off).

Read More

A Lidl Decision with big Implications – UK High Court Finds that Tesco’s Clubcard Logo Infringes Lidl’s logo

In a recent decision, the High Court of England and Wales has found that Tesco’s use of the yellow and blue Tesco Clubcard logos (reproduced below) infringed Lidl’s trade marks (see the relevant Lidl marks below) and also gave rise to copyright infringement and passing off.

Read More

Nothing more than Empty Words: The Difficulty with Registering Slogans as Trade Marks in the EU

Companies continue to face difficulties in achieving EU trade mark protection for their slogans. In separate recent decisions of the EU General Court, two trade mark applications relating to advertising slogans were rejected on the grounds that the marks lacked the ‘distinctive character’ required to be registerable under Article 7(1)(b) of Regulation 2017/1001. These two decisions join a long list of case law rejecting similar applications.

Read More

Technical Effect Embodied in Technical Teaching

European Patent Office: Enlarged Board of Appeal decision G2/21

The Enlarged Board of Appeal EBoA is the highest judicial authority under the European Patent Convention. It handles patent examination for about 37 member states including the EU. The EBoA has recently published its decision G2/21 dealing with the principle of free evaluation of evidence in the context of inventive step. This decision is relevant for patents in the pharma, biotech and life science field.

Read More

Copyright © 2024, K&L Gates LLP. All Rights Reserved.