The CMA and CAP have taken measures to address concerns with the legal framework around affiliate marketing by issuing new guidance directed at influencers. This article will briefly explain the previous regulations and then compare them to the new guidance of March 2023. This article will then attempt to determine if this new guidance has…

  In a decision of this year, the District Court of Hamburg confirmed that an online-magazine article about so-called perfume dupes being “smell alikes” of well-known perfumes amounted to trademark infringement (decision of 26 January in Case 327 O 130/22). The claimants were exclusive licensees of several well-known trademarks for perfume for the territory of…

It is understandable why (most) trademarks owners do not like the five-year dependency period of an international registration since in case of “central attack” or refusal of the basic application, they face cancellation of their international registration. However, it’s less understandable why the judges of the EU General Court (GC) do not like it, unless…

  We all know that highly famous marks enjoy a kind of “universal” protection for (almost) any goods and services. However, for only “average” well-known marks”, the threshold of necessary closeness depends on how well-known the trademark is, on the similarity of the marks, and on the type of injury. Background of the case In…

This post is the second of four, considering the decision of Smith J in Lidl v Tesco [2023] EWHC 873 (Ch), focusing on the passing off element of the judgment. Many were surprised that Lidl was successful on this ground, as it was not a traditional case of selling goods as those of another. Background…