Erik Brunetti, owner of clothing label FUCT, has been in Court this week to put forward arguments in support of why his brand name should be afforded trade mark protection. In 1990, Brunetti and professional skateboarder, Natas Kaupas, founded clothing brand FUCT, a streetwear apparel brand known for the incorporation of anti-government campaigns in to…
Battles are usually illustrated in comic books, however, recent intellectual property news tells us of a trade mark opposition battle between comic book companies, Goode Enterprise Solutions Limited and Marvel. In March 2018, Goode Enterprise Solutions, filed a US trade mark application for ‘Return of the Guardians’ covering classes 16, 25 and 41; notably comic…
The EU figurative trade mark for the well-known children’s character, Peppa Pig, has prevailed in a three-year invalidity battle against an EU figurative trade mark for what is described as a ‘tapir head on a human body’ teamed with the wording “TOBBIA” (“the Tobbia sign”). The Peppa Pig sign depicts the pig in black and…
The wider Kardashian family (including younger sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner) do not seem to be able to stay out of the intellectual property news lately. Perhaps that is because when they throw their hefty social media weight behind something, it inevitably becomes a target for opportunist copycats and infringers. Perhaps, however, it is because…
The Public Theatre, the group responsible for the internationally acclaimed “Shakespeare in the Park” theatre productions held each summer in Manhattan’s Central Park, has filed a claim in the Southern District of New York against a hotelier in the city. The complaint is made against Ian Schrager and his hotel PUBLIC. It relates to The…
Fortnite’s owner Epic Games is quite used to intellectual property litigation (or at least threats of it). However, it is now turning claimant in a dispute with Exciting Events, that recently ran the unofficial live fan event ‘Fortnite Live’ in Norwich. Epic Games did not seem to take any steps to prevent Fortnite Live going…
Butlers in the Buff, the events company specialising in the provision of oiled-up, ripped, and almost naked young men, has agreed a favourable settlement with Bufflers Entertainment, a competitor in the industry. Butlers in the Buff owns an eponymous trademark, which it had claimed was infringed by various mentions of “Butlers in the Buff” in…
Back in June we reported on how Louboutin had successfully defended its red sole trade mark from Dutch fashion chain, Van Haren: the full article can be read here. In summary, Louboutin sued Van Haren after it started selling its version of a red soled high heel shoe. For those who may not have heard…
So sang Gogol Bordello in their gypsy punk hit in 2006. It was the band’s breakthrough track and they have sadly failed to stay in the mainstream ever since. Cadbury, however, fear that competitors may indeed start wearing purple following its abandonment of a trademark. Cadbury has duelled with Nestlé and a plethora of other…
Recently McDonald’s lost its trade mark battle with Irish chain Supermac’s over its trademark rights in the words ‘Big Mac’ as McDonald’s had dropped a Whopper by failing to prove genuine use of the mark. Following the defeat in the EUIPO, Burger King’s Swedish operation has taken the opportunity to take a bite out of…
