On March 21, 2018, the Russian Supreme Court published its Decision in case No. A55 5711/2014, which may have a dramatic impact on resolution of trademark non-use disputes.
Under the merits of the case, Heineken filed a non-use claim against Samarskiy Vodochnyi Zavod based on its failure to use the trademark Volzhskaya Okhota for 3 consecutive years.
Initially, the claim was addressed to the IP Court, which usually acts as a first instance court for non-use claims. Later, the case as an exception was transferred to the Commercial Court of Samara Region to be decided within the framework of a bankruptcy case initiated a few years ago against the Respondent. The change of venue was reasoned by the presumption that termination of the trademark may reduce the amount of bankruptcy assets thus negatively affecting the creditors’ rights (following another precedent IP Court’s Decision in case No. SIP-360/2016, dated November 23, 2016).
Continue Reading
As with any major event, the FIFA World Cup presents an attractive marketing opportunity for brands to connect with consumers around the world. The World Cup is a particularly hot ticket for marketers because it only occurs once every four years and is followed closely by fans worldwide. It also helps that soccer (err … football) is the most popular sport in the world. Although the buzz can present a compelling marketing tool, marketers should be wary of the unique legal risks associated with leveraging the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia without permission.
Recent focus on the United States Supreme Court has surrounded who President Trump will nominate to replace retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. (The nominee is Brett Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit.) However, once October is here, the 2018 Term begins and focus will shift back to the cases before the Court. One of those issues will be the extent that sales (or offers for sale) of an invention before the filing of a patent application will prevent the issuance of a patent. Also known as the ‘on-sale bar’ doctrine, the outcome will have broad implications for startup companies and small businesses holding intellectual property assets.
On 24 April 2018 the Intellectual Property Court published its Decision in 
The Canadian Trademarks Act amendments, which are allegedly coming into force in early 2019, include the removal of the requirement that a trademark applicant declare that it has been using its trademark before it files the application or before registration in Canada. The amendments are meant to bring Canada’s laws in line with international treaties. The Canadian government wants these changes to simplify the registration process.
As of June 9, 2018, an entirely new Law has been implemented in Denmark, namely the Danish Act on Trade Secrets, which implements the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council on protection of trade secrets (hereinafter “the Directive”). The new law replaces paragraph 23 in the Danish Marketing Act, which up until now has been the primary legislative guard against unlawful use of trade secrets, of course supplemented by case law.
The issue of the blank tape levy, due for certain devices and media which are suitable for the reproduction of protected works as equitable remuneration for the reproduction for private use, and which is payable by the importers or manufacturers of such devices, has often in recent years been a subject of dispute between creators, Collective Management Organizations and businesses of the IT and electronics sector in Greece.
“You mean there’s a catch?”
On 26 April, the UK ratified the EU’s Unified Patent Court (UPC) agreement. Although much of intellectual property law and practice is already harmonised amongst EU member states, a UPC would set up a common patent court for the hearing of intellectual property cases, and the direct applicability of its rulings, across all EU member states – something which is currently not the case, as patent cases (even for European Patent Office granted patents) are presently litigated on a country by country basis. The UPC would have the competence to hear cases regarding European patents with unitary effect, but also other European patents registered within states which have ratified the UPC agreement.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana sided with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and awarded a permanent injunction against game developer Kizzang Inc. (Kizzang) over a mobile and online game that infringed the NCAA’s trademarks “March Madness” and “Final Four.”