National law

National Law is the law of a particular country, often contrasted with European or other forms of International law.

Confusion, descriptive, descriptive elements, Distinctive Character, Distinctiveness, Germany, Lack of distinctiveness, Level of similarity of marks, National law, National marks, Opposition, Similarity of marks, Trademark, Weak elements in trademarks

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The question of how far descriptive or non-distinctive trademarks which somehow managed to be registered may be enforced is of particular relevance in jurisdictions like Germany which acknowledge their incontestability ten years after registration. The more recent approach of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) was that it accepted likelihood of confusion also in a…

EU Trademark reform, Germany, National law, Trademark

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On 14 January 2019, on the date of the deadline, the German Trademark Modernization Act entered into force (with the wonderfully uniquely German name of “Markenrechtsmodernisierungsgesetz” – short: “MaMoG”). The Trademark Modernization Act implements the mandatory and several optional provisions contained in the revised EU Trade Mark Directive 2015/2436 of 16 December 2015 in Germany….

Case law, Infringement, Infringement action, National law

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The Sofia City Court, Commercial Division reached a landmark decision on November 15, 2018, when it issued a judgement holding that the company REZON Ltd., which manages and operates the on-line marketplace <bazar.bg>, violated the rights of the trademark owner PHILIPP PLEIN. The breach occurred through the use of these trademarks in the commercial activity…

Case law, cosmetic trademarks, Distinctive Character, Italy, National law, Preliminary ruling, Trademark

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Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal of Milan upheld a 2015 ruling by the Court of Milan which recognized copyright protection of the concept store of Kiko, the Italian make-up brand, and blocked competitor Wycon from using similar store decor in its shops. (Court of Appeal decision no. 1543/18, Kiko-Wycon, March 26, 2018). Kiko’s…

Coexistence, Defences, National law, United Kingdom

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Student Union Lettings Limited v Essex Student Lets Limited [2018] EWHC 419 (IPEC)     The UK Intellectual Enterprise Court has ruled that Essex Student Lets Limited, a student accommodation letting company, has fallen foul of trade mark infringement and passing-off, courtesy of their use of the mark “SU LETS”.   Background   The Defendant in…

3D Trademark, Case law, Food, individual character, Lack of distinctiveness, National law, Registrability, Shape marks, Switzerland, Trademark, Weak elements in trademarks

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In a recent judgement, the Swiss Federal Administrative Court once again confirmed its (too) strict position with regard to the registration of shape marks. The court ruled that a three-dimensional mark consisting of the graphical background of a popular chocolate bar’s packaging could not be registered since the design was not perceived as an indication…

Community design, European Union, Jurisdiction, National law, Trademark

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The Court of Justice has rendered a crucial decision on the jurisdiction of the Community design courts over European co-defendants and the national law applicable to the measures sought. Nintendo holds various Community design rights for accessories for video game consoles, such as remote controls. It brought infringement proceedings in Germany against two companies: BigBen…

Brexit, Defences, National law, United Kingdom

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That is the question recently raised at the Chancery Division of the High Court in England and Wales within the case of Sky Plc & Ors v SkyKick UK Ltd & Anor [2017] EWHC 1769 (Ch) (13 July 2017).   The Claimants in this case provide a range of services, including pay television, home entertainment…

Case law, National law, The Netherlands

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That is the question that was recently answered by the Board of Appeal of the Dutch Advertising Code Authority. The TM symbol stands for “trademark” and is traditionally used for unregistered trademarks in various jurisdictions such as the US. Conversely, the ® symbol is used to indicate a trademark has been registered. However, in the…

Appeal, Case law, Company names, Domain name, Lack of distinctiveness, National law, National marks, similarity of goods and services, Switzerland, Trade name, Trademark

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The Federal Administrative Court partially overturned a decision of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IGE) refusing protection for Apple’s word mark “iMessage” for telecommunication services in class 38.   The Administrative Court agreed with the IPO that “iMessage” lacked original distinctiveness for messaging services, because such services were closely linked to the internet,…