This introduction to the commercial use of brands and trade marks has been revised and updated to incorporate developments in UK law with particular reference to legislation concerning service marks as introduced by the Trade Marks (Amendment) Act 1984 and the Patents Designs and Trade Marks Act 1986. It deals with the use of trade marks in commercial practice as well as the registration and legal remedies available to the trade mark owner. The book includes a number of illustrations showing the variety of uses for trade marks, plus products which are counterfeit or infringe the regulations.
When a mark acquires a reputation, it becomes a means of attracting consumers by communicating to them various messages going beyond the indication of commercial origin of goods or services. Thus, trade marks familiar to the general public enjoy a special legal protection regime above and beyond that afforded trade marks in general, allowing them to benefit from enhanced protection against reproduction or imitation detrimental to, or taking unfair advantage of, the distinctive character of the mark or its repute. This richly researched book, the first comprehensive guide to current European Union (EU) law and practice concerned with reputed trade marks, conducts an in-depth analysis of this extended protection provided by Regulation 2017/1001 on EU trade marks and Directive 2015/2436 under which it is mandatory across all Member States. Using a practical approach, focused on identifying and analysing the criteria for infringement of trade marks with a reputation in proceedings before civil courts and in administrative proceedings before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) or national trade mark offices, the author addresses such elements of the special protection regime as the following: prerequisites for infringement of the right to a reputed mark common to all recognised forms of infringement; how to demonstrate each type of infringement of the right to the trade mark with a reputation (blurring, tarnishment and unfair advantage); proof of reputation; distinguishing the concept of well-known trade mark; legitimate versus questionable justifications of the ‘due cause’ exception within the meaning of EU law provisions; use of a disputed sign falling under freedom of expression; identifying the role of likelihood of confusion under the special regime; and how to prove the existence of a link between the signs in dispute. The author pays detailed attention to the case law of the Court of Justice and General Court of the EU, as well as cases before the EUIPO and national courts. He takes into account research from a number of Member States (plus Switzerland), thus widening prior work in the field from its predominant English-language context. With this book practitioners will confidently approach cases before courts, the EUIPO and national EU trade mark offices involving enhanced protection of trade marks with a reputation. In addition, the book will help judges and trade mark offices examiners to interpret the EU provisions and assess claims regarding such reinforced protection. For scholars and students of intellectual property law, this book will prove a cornerstone volume in the field.
This new edition of a well-established text provides a comprehensive, digestible and accessible introduction to trade mark law, explaining the technicalities of the law in plain, non-technical language.
We come in contact with many trademarks each day on television, retail stores, Internet. The Business of Trademarks explains why trademarks are so important to businesses and how they identify the manufacturer and guarantee consistent quality to achieve brand loyalty. The Business of Trademarks is intended as a practical guide for those new to trademarks, including attorneys, paralegals and law students requiring a concise, comprehensive book on trademark prosecution to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to perform day-to-day trademark work diligently, confidently and with efficiency. Specific topics covered are: * Trademark searching for clearance * Forms to be filed with the Patent and Trademark Office * Famous trademarks and trade dress * Responding to office actions * Methods of enforcing trademarks * Trademarks in commercial transactions Business of Trademarks is unique from other publications because it explains trademark management from a hands-on approach, including administrative duties which few attorneys handle themselves.
A new edition of a well established text, and now part of the renowned Oxford University Press 'A Practical Approach' series, A Practical Approach to Trade Mark Law fourth edition provides a comprehensive, digestible and accessible introduction to trade mark law, explaining the technicalities of the law in plain, non-technical language.
Boasting an impressive list of contributors, this first edition of Trademark Law and Theory brings together a compilation of well-written and powerfully argued works by leading international academics. The book is certainly one of the most extensive and thought provoking overviews of contemporary trademark law and theory yet to be published. . . Whilst all the contributions share in common their examination of the rapidity of change within trademark systems, the editors should be commended on their generous seasoning of other cross cutting themes throughout the Handbook. . . This fascinating compendium enriches our understanding of the shape, substance, and form of trademark law and theory. . . this Handbook is perhaps a rare exception to the adage that no book can be all things to all men . Its broad sweep approach and cross cutting themes enable a range of interested parties, such as policymakers; academics in the fields of marketing, business, consumer psychology; in addition to the usual suspects; to dip in and out of the Handbook as they wish. . . a unique and erudite collection of essays concerning trademark law and theory. . . Odette Hutchinson, Communications Law Trademarks is an area of vital, practical everyday concern, and the idea of producing a volume that brings together the perspectives of 19 thoughtful and experienced legal scholars is a bold and exciting initiative. The present volume does not disappoint and the two editors are to be congratulated on orchestrating an ensemble that simultaneously informs and stimulates. The title is apt: it is truly contemporary and is highly theoretical and doctrinal in character, while the interesting choice of the word handbook suggests clearly that this is a work in progress, a snapshot at a particular time of the challenging lines of individual research that each contributor to the volume is undertaking. It is a fine addition to a larger series of research handbooks in intellectual property published by Edward Elgar under the series editorship of Jeremy Phillips. . . The editors have done a fine job in presenting this material in such a clear and coherent fashion. . . this is an excellent and rewarding volume of readings that will be of interest to anyone working in the area of trademarks, whether as an academic or as a practitioner. Indeed, for the practitioner it will be of particular value, in that it contains, and opens up, many areas of inquiry that may not always be apparent when working at the coalface of a particular problem. . . For both kinds of readers, the real value of the volume is to have so many different kinds of perspectives brought together within the space of a single volume. . . this is a handsome production: the publishers and editors are to be commended on the clarity and cleanness of the typeface and headings, the thoroughness of the index, and the accuracy of their proof reading. It has also been given a striking and evocative cover. Sam Ricketson, University of Melbourne Law School Australia, European Intellectual Property Review Trademark Law and Theory is a first-rate exploration of the issues that will dominate trademark law in the 21st century. Authors from five continents provide a truly global perspective on the present and future of trademark law. An exceptional collection of contributors and contributions. Robert Denicola, University of Nebraska, US This compendium is an excellent source of writing on all aspects of trademark law and practice by experts from Europe, the United States, South Africa, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. It will be a stimulating read for lawyers, academics, students and policymakers alike on the present and developing trends in law and policy relating to trademarks as marketing tools and cultural artefacts. The editors deserve congratulation on their concept for the book and their judicious selection of material. David Vaver, University of Oxford, UK All students, young and older, in the burgeoni
Kane on Trademark Law shows you how to select and develop trademarks that won't trigger costly legal disputes; use and maintain trademarks in ways that will protect them over the long term; and license and expand trademark rights to maximize the full value of trademarks.
This is the first practical treatise of its kind to approach trademark law from a fully integrated legal and business perspective. It walks you through the major areas of trademark practice: Selecting and adopting trademarks Perfecting, exploiting, and maintaining trademark rights Asserting and defending against trademark claims Business issues in trademark ownership You'll find clear, concise explanations and illustrative case examples to help you take a course of action in the full range of business scenarios. This book covers every key area, including: Trademark selection and adoption Trademark registration Trade dress Conducting due diligence Fair use of the trademarks of others Enforcement letters and more
The fourth edition of this legal guide for advisers of housing associations and housing association tenants provides comprehensive coverage of this area of law. It incorporates wide-ranging changes in law and policy, including the shift towards a more holistic approach
Since 1994 European Union (EU) case law touching on trade mark confusion has become so diverse and has grown so numerous that it is difficult to see the wood for the trees. This is the first book to give a complete synthesis of the thousands of decisions that have been handed down over the past decades, illustrated with many examples and images. Providing a highly structured and complete overview of the confusion test and all assessment criteria as determined by the General Court and Court of Justice, the authors unravel the concept of likelihood of confusion and establish a sound and thorough methodology for resolving confusion in any trade mark case. Among the practical features offered by the analysis are the following: consideration of the constituent criteria of the confusion test through a simple three-step test examining the similarity among goods and services, similarity between different trade marks and global appreciation of confusion; the identification of the ‘relevant consumer’, including from territorial and linguistic points of view; guidance on procedural aspects of the confusion test before the EU courts, as well as before the EU Intellectual Property Office and its Boards of Appeal; identifying the dominant and distinctive components of a trade mark – phonetic, visual and conceptual; the concept of similarity and the Nice Agreement; the principle of ‘partial use’; effect of the terms of sale of the goods or services; consideration of the existence of a family or series of trade marks; and consideration of the effects of coexistence on the confusion test. Numerous illustrated examples of trade marks involved in confusion cases enhance the presentation. Any practitioner dealing with trademark confusion in infringement proceedings before EU or national courts, or in opposition proceedings before national offices or the EU Intellectual Property Office, will be enabled to approach each case with full awareness of applicable criteria of assessment. This much-needed synthesis of case law will quickly become a standard work among lawyers, examiners and judges acting in trade mark matters.
