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Inditex, the parent company of trendy clothing brand Zara, has partially failed in its attempt to register an EU trademark to cover food products, restaurants and related services. In its December 2021 ruling, the EU General Court found mainly in favour of food producer Ffauf Italia, as Julia Schefman explains.
Counterfeit activity is a threat to all modern businesses, affecting their profits, their reputation and, in some cases, the safety of their consumers. This white paper sets out five steps to success when targeting the trade in fakes, and provides answers to some frequently asked questions
The international systems for trademark and design protection continue to expand, with Jamaica the latest country to file instruments of accession. The more countries that join the systems the better it is for companies that operate internationally.
Download our updated trademark management white paper to find out how to build a trademark strategy that supports your business goals.
Last July, the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the EPO issued decision G1/21, which authorises oral proceedings before the Boards of Appeal via videoconferencing during a period of general urgency, even if all parties have not given their consent.
If a likelihood of direct confusion between two trademarks cannot be established, the courts may still be prepared to find infringement on the basis of a likelihood of indirect confusion. A decision by the England and Wales Court of Appeal over the ‘American Eagle’ trademark provides some insight into the circumstances necessary for indirect confusion to apply.
The development of a new product or a new process is rarely easy. From the challenges and concerns raised during R&D to the difficulty of finding suppliers and convincing investors, there are many obstacles that need to be overcome.
In a recent judgement, the General Court of the EU considered whether a design application filed in bad faith would automatically render it invalid. Koen de Winder explains the arguments and the reasoning behind the General Court’s decision.
According to WIPO’s latest research, global trademark registrations soared in 2020, while patent and design filings rebounded quickly from the pandemic’s initial impact on application numbers. We summarise some of the key findings from the 2021 World Intellectual Property Indicators Report (WIPI) report.