Blog

As of 23 March, the Office's name has changed to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).The name of the unitary trade mark administered by the Office has changed to the European Union trade…

With the CJEU´s ruling on 17 February 2016, a lengthy saga concerning Adidas might have come to an end. After contesting everything from two to five stripes, creating and using an abundance of case law, logging a…

On 26 February 2016, the European General Court (EGC) upheld OHIM´s decision dated 13 May 2014 and ruled in favor of Renfro Corp., deciding that the name “HOT SOX” for hosiery is not descriptive and does not lack…

The Federal Administrative Court in Switzerland recently ruled that Apple’s home button cannot be registered as a trademark as it lacks distinctive character. The Court did not find it evident that the mark had…

As you might already be aware, the European trademark law and practice has been subject to some changes in recent months which may also affect your registered Community Trademark(s) or your International…

The European General Court (EGC) decided that the sole shape of the crest of the FC Barcelona has no distinctive character neither itself or through use (Judgment dated 10 December 2015; Case No.:…

The European General Court (EGC) ruled that the shape of the new Coca-Cola bottle cannot be protected as a three-dimensional trademark because it is devoid of any distinctive character (Case T-411/14, Judgement…

The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled that smartphone apps can – in principal – be protected as work titles (Case I ZR 202/14, Judgement of 28 January 2016). Background of the Case and Subject Matter…

Every April 26 – the day on which the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Convention came into force in 1970 – the World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated to promote discussions of the role of…

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, has recently published the Global Innovation Index (GII) Report about the…

In the recent and comprehensive decision from the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice, England and Wales, Justice Arnold ruled that the Metrocab taxi is not infringing the London Taxi Company´s (LTC)…

The TMA Committee has kicked-off the year 2016 with a fantastic event. On Thursday, 28 January 2016, a mini-seminar was organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the German Patent and…

The fee system at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) will change from the fee system applied by OHIM - the "old" name of the office until 23 March 2016. The system will change from a basic…

The EU trademark reform package was approved by the European Parliament on 15 December 2015. The amendments are expected to come into force in March/April 2016. The reform package brings changes to the Community…

The reform of the EU trademark system has been ongoing since 2008 and is finally ready for publication. The updated rules aim for a more efficient and cost effective trademark registration process. The dual…

The mini seminar will be held in German. Paralegals have vastly different responsibilities around the globe. Join us for a discussion onan update from the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) as well asthe…

The General Court (EGC) held that as the marks were phonetically identical and visually and conceptually similar they should be regarded as similar overall. Followed from this it was held that the mark at issue…

The General Court (EGC) dismissed HP’s appeals in both cases and confirmed that the Community Trademarks (CTM) ELITEDISPLAY and ELITEPAD are descriptive for the goods in respect of which registrations were sought…

The World Customs Organization (WCO) was established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC). It is an independent intergovernmental body with a mission to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of…