Since 2013 many new domain name extensions have been launched. One of them is .FOOTBALL (especially for Football teams). From June 2015, the domain name became available to the public, for 19 Euros per year. Last autumn the domain name AJAX.FOOTBALL is registered by a third party (not Ajax or its fan club). This person sends an email to Ajax offering to transfer the domain name for the amount of 6.500 Euros.
Spa Monopole has been granted an exclusive license, by the authorities, to exploit the natural water sources and thermal baths of the Spa region. The firm has registered the trademark SPA for a wide scale of products, like bottled water and cosmetics. When Kruidvat uses the names SPA SECRETS, SENSE OF SPA, ZOUTSCRUB SPA and SEL DE GOMMAGE SPA, to launch a new line of cosmetics and care products, Spa Monopole objects.
A well-known phenomenon in our business are the so called ghost invoices. Unfortunately they are all too common, even these days. Invoices are sent to trademark owners after they filed their application. In return for a large sum of money the trademark is filed in a database by the ghost invoice sender, a database that is completely useless. All the while the owner believes that he received an invoice from an official organization.
For the first time a suspect has been condemned, in the Netherlands, to 18 months in prison for sending fake invoices. By the end of March this year, the court of Arnhem-Leeuwarden judged that a scam had taken place. The case originally started in 2008. In December that year the suspect sends a first mailing of 385.000 letters to companies for the Chamber of Commerce contribution. On the invoice (149 Euros), a logo is displayed that strongly resembles the logo of the Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands.
During Balenciaga’s spring show, all of a sudden an oversized bag is shown on the catwalk which very much resembles the famous cobalt blue Ikea bag, designed by Marianne and Knut Hagberg. However, the shown bag is made of leather and has a zipper. Apart from that, the bag only costs 2.145 dollars. Ikea could invoke its copyrights on the design (which apparently has not been registered as a design right). The shape of common day to day products are protected by copyright, if they can be considered as intellectual creations, where the designer made personal choices. So legal action is possible in this case, but is it the smart thing to do?
In order to register a product as a design, a number of images should be filed, which basically explain what the design actually looks like. Not a great deal of other demands need to e fulfilled. Almost every design filing is accepted. Validity problems just arise in case of conflicts. However, one of the few demands that are required of the images is that they have a neutral background. Not too difficult to overcome, but in sometimes it apparently is.
Call us: 071-5763116 or send an e-mail: info@abcor-ip.com
Een korte introductie tekst over de nieuwsbrief waarin je uitlegt wat het is. Hoe je direct de nieuwste editie kunt lezen en hoe je je kunt abonneren. And click here for all the numbers.
Among others in this issue:
• EUIPO vs Mora TV: weigering geluidsmerk
• Jägermeister vs Alte Heiler: stop Russische copycat
• Stichting Nederlandse Top 40: gericht op Benelux?
• Tijdschrift HART vs Hermitage: soortgelijkheid
• Monique Granneman: nieuwe partner Abcor
