IP Review
IP Review is a monthly round-up of what's going on in the world of IP, reporting on news regarding trademarks, patents, copyright, design rights and other forms of intellectual property from publications the world over.
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News Archive30 September: Exclamation marks are not trademarks!
The European Court of First Instance has ruled that an exclamation mark lacks distinctiveness so can not be registered as a trademark, scuppering Joop!'s application.
BBC
30 September: Winnie the Pooh copyright win for Disney
Disney has won an 18-year copyright dispute brought against it by the Slesinger family which was claiming £1.25bn in unpaid royalties for use of the Winnie the Pooh property.
The Guardian
28 September: SFR loses trademark 'texto'
French mobile company SFR has lost the rights to its trademark ‘texto’ as a judge ruled the word has now entered common parlance, becoming a generic.
Connexion France
22 September: Google wins latest round of Adwords dispute
An advisor to the European court has given his opinion, in advance of the official ruling, that Google is not infringing trademark rights of brand owner by allowing rival firms to bid on their brand names as key words.
The Times
21 September: Google reintroduces Gmail trademark
Google has today reintroduced its Gmail logo to its email service in the UK, following the trademark dispute with Independent International Investment, which resulted in Google paying the UK-based firm £226,324 for the intellectual property rights for Gmail, back in 2005.
Financial Times
21 September: Gun makers duel over Rigby trademark
John Rigby & Co. (Gunmakers) Inc. is suing London-based newcomer John Rigby & Co. (Gunmakers) Ltd., claiming the UK company is infringing its trademark rights to the Rigby brand name on high-end guns.
Business Times
19 September: Tesco accused of copying Next's clothes
Next, the UK fashion retailer has accused Tesco of copying the designs of up to five clothing lines. Tesco denies the claim and has issued a counterclaim.
Telegraph
16 September: Weight Watchers sues Nestle
Weight Watchers International is suing Nestle, claiming the Swiss food giant is using its logo on frozen food packaging without authorisation.
Reuters
16 September: Beyonce sued by Abercrombie & Fitch over fragrance trademark
Abercrombie & Fitch is suing Beyonce Knowles over the singer’s plans to launch a fragrance under her ‘Sasha Fierce’ label, accusing the singer of trademark infringement, unfair competition, and deceptive trade practices regarding its own ‘Fierce’ fragrance line.
AM Law
14 September: IPO issues 100th patent opinion
Dyson has become the 100th user of the Intellectual Property Office’s Opinion Service for resolving patent disputes without the need for lengthy litigation. Dyson is challenging Samsung over alleged infringement of cyclonic separating apparatus. The ruling is due on 1 October.
IPO
14 September: Love threatens to sue over Kurt Cobain image
Courtney Love, widow and rights owner of Kurt Cobain, has threatened to sue Activision, the make of Guitar Hero 5, which uses an image of Kurt Cobain which Love alleges it does not have her permission for.
Brand Freak
10 September: PWC’s reputation damaged by ex-employee email?
PWC employee Gareth Jenkins was fired and sent a good-bye email to colleagues, which has since been forwarded round the round. How much damage will this do to PWC’s reputation?
Telegraph
09 September: WIPO orders domain name transfer for poker player
WIPO has ordered that domain name gushansen.com should be transferred to poker player Gus Hansen, despite Hansen not have a trademark for his name. The judge ruled that the registration was made in bad faith. Click to view WIPO’s judgement.
Reuters
08 September: Disney’s Pixar sued over lamp logo
Disney is being sued by Norwegian lamp company, Luxo, for alleged trade mark infringement. Luxo claims Disney is copying its trademark on replica lamps. Click to view on Amazon.
Digital Spy
08 September: McCurry beats McDonald’s
Fast food chain McDonald’s has lost its appeal in Malaysia against the restaurant McCurry, after the judge found that its use would not cause consumer confusion and deception.
BBC
07 September: Paris Hilton sues Hallmark over trademark infringement
Paris Hilton has sued Hallmark over its use of her image and trademarked phrase ‘That’s hot’ on a greetings card, seeking an injunction and damages of $500,000.
Fox News
07 September: Annie Leibovitz sued for £183k over copyright infringement
Celebrated US photographer Annie Leibovitz is being sued by an Italian photographer, Paolo Pizzetti, who claims Leibovitz passed off his photos of the Trevi Fountain in Rome and Piazza San Marco in Venice as her own and without permission.
Guardian
04 September: Google patents its homepage
Copyright protection wasn’t enough for Google which has been awarded a patent for the design of its homepage, deterring others from copying its minimalist look
BNET UK
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