Tag: Asia Pacific

PERSONALITY RIGHTS – THE POWER OF INFLUENCE, ITS MISUSE AND PROTECTION

INTRODUCTION Publicity rights play an important role in India based on the culture of celebrity worship and the importance of the name, image, and likeness of sports, television and media personalities, political figures, musicians, etc. Indian intellectual property laws do not directly or explicitly recognize personality rights, but several regulations and provisions address the same. … Continue Reading

India publishes draft amendments to Patent Rules for public comment

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has recently published a set of draft amendments (“Draft Rules”) to the Indian Patent Rules, 2003. The amendments are currently open for comments from the public. The draft amendment rules can be accessed at – https://ipindia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/Images/pdf/248296.pdf.… Continue Reading

Delhi High Court holds that personality rights of deceased persons are not heritable

There has been immense activity surrounding the jurisprudence of celebrity rights in India with numerous judicial pronouncements in recent years. As regards legislation, there is no statute in India that expressly recognises the publicity or personality rights of individuals; therefore, the aspect of inheritance of publicity rights of a deceased person is still not entirely … Continue Reading

Swiss federal agency successfully obtains relief in trademark issue before an Indian High Court

The High Court of Delhi recently adjudicated upon a case that involved an appeal from Armasuisse (a Federal Agency of the Swiss Federation) against orders of the Indian Trade Marks registry granting trademark registrations to a private Indian company for the marks SWISS MILITARY and in respect of class 25 goods. As a background, Respondent … Continue Reading

Delhi High Court permits use of the mark ‘FLY HIGHER’ by VISTARA Airlines on the ground of the mark not being used as a trademark

The Delhi High Court (‘Court’) in its judgment (dated October 28, 2022) in the case of Frankfinn Aviation Service Private Limited v. Tata SIA Airlines Limited, [CS(COMM) 54/2022 & I.A. 1795/2022, 3651-52/2022] recently deliberated whether the exclusive rights available to a trademark owner under the Indian Trade Marks Act, 1999 (‘Act’) would restrain a third-party … Continue Reading

High Court of Delhi holds that acquired distinctiveness is necessary for obtaining registration of a shape mark

In today’s age, the importance of brands (and in turn trademarks) cannot be undermined. It is through brands that businesses (be it domestic or international) are able to thrive and flourish in various highly competitive sectors. While the brand promotion, protection, and enforcement strategy has been focused for many decades on conventional marks (such as … Continue Reading

High Court of Delhi extends statutory deadline for filing response to FER in European Union’s patent applications

In the recent case of The European Union vs. Union of India and Ors., W.P.(C)-IPD 5/2022 and W.P.(C)-IPD 6/2022, the Petitioner (European Union) filed two writ petitions against two orders passed by the Controller General of Patents for deemed abandonment of its patent applications. By way of background, the Petitioner had initially engaged a European … Continue Reading

The importance of identifying the correct applicant in Australian trade mark applications

When preparing a trademark application, a significant amount of attention is often given to the drafting of the specification of goods and services. Whilst the goods and service classification is important, care should also be taken to ensure all other details contained within the trademark application are correct, including confirming the true identity of the … Continue Reading

Can Lawsuits under Breach of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Clauses Be Suspended Through Preliminary Injunction?

When civil disputes arise, in addition to seeking binding judgment through civil proceedings, parties can resolve the disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms such as arbitration, settlement, and mediation.  To avoid the complexities of possible future litigation and expedite dispute resolution, parties to an agreement commonly include an “ADR clause” in their agreement such … Continue Reading

In Determination of Trademark Parody Fair Use, Culture Differences and the Products Used Should be Considered

Generally speaking, “trademark parody fair use” is a defense where an unauthorized trademark user claims that the use should be shielded from liability because of public interests such as freedom of speech.  In Taiwan, while there were court judgments that recognized “trademark parody fair use”, there is no clear language for such defense in the … Continue Reading

Application for the Chinese Translation of a Foreign Trademark as a Trademark with Knowledge of Likelihood of Confusion Considered in Bad Faith

Chinese (Mandarin) is the national language in Taiwan.  To expand the market in Taiwan, many foreign companies will select the Chinese translation or transliteration of their foreign brands as locally used brands (trademarks) so that the consumers in Taiwan may identify more easily.  However, in Chinese language, one character may have multiple pronunciations or meanings.  … Continue Reading

Establishment of Korea’s International Court for International IP Cases

IP cases, by their nature, proceed in more than one country simultaneously.  For instance, the patent lawsuits between Samsung and Apple have occurred at the same time in the courts of more than 10 different countries including Korea, the U.S., Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Australia.  Because these cases are proceeding simultaneously, IP right holders … Continue Reading

Registration of Mark “THEZARA” for Motel Services Invalidated Based on the Mark “ZARA” for Clothing – A Case Study

Representing our client Inditex S.A. (“Inditex”), owner of the famous fashion brand “ZARA,” Lee International obtained a favorable decision in its invalidation action against the registered mark “THEZARA” for motel and hotel services. Facts Lee International filed an invalidation action against the registered mark “THEZARA” for “motel, hotel,” etc., on behalf of Inditex.  The invalidation … Continue Reading

FTC Announces First COPPA Action Involving Connected Toys

A Hong Kong-based electronic toy manufacturer and its U.S. subsidiary agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) $650,000 to settle allegations that they violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from children without providing appropriate notice and consent, and by failing to take reasonable steps to secure the data … Continue Reading

Obtaining Statutory Damages for Trademark Infringement – A Cross Border Approach under the Trademark Act of the Republic of Korea

** Originally published by DRI in the DRI IP Committee newsletter** Recently the Korea Supreme Court issued a significant ruling, providing guidance on the availability of statutory damages in trademark infringement actions.  This article discusses that ruling. Under the Trademark Act of the Republic of Korea (“the Act”), a trademark owner is entitled to receive compensation … Continue Reading

Extraterritorial Application of Unfair Trade Laws: Foreign Government Agencies May Restrict U.S. Companies from Exercising Their IP Rights in the United States

** Originally published by DRI in August 2017 edition of For The Defense ** Intellectual property laws are aimed at allowing intellectual property owners to hold rights in their property for a certain period of time to the exclusion of all others. Exclusivity is the essential purpose of intellectual property rights. Conversely, the essence of fair … Continue Reading
LexBlog