We have previously reported here on the news that KISS frontman, Gene Simmons, had applied to the U.S Patent and Trademark Office to obtain a trade mark over his ‘devil horn’ hand gesture, which consists of the index and small finger pointed upwards and the thumb extended. At the time we expressed scepticism as to…
In the UK, marks that are contrary to public policy or morality will be refused registration as trade marks. In the US, historically, marks that comprise matter which may be disparaging would be refused registration as trade marks. The United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) rejected the trade mark application of Simon Tam,…
President Trump has faced repeated controversy over alleged ties to Russia and he has consistently maintained that he has no business links with Russia. It has emerged this week however that Rospatent (the Russian Intellectual Property Office) have renewed Trump’s trade marks in the country despite them not having been used. According to The New…
This week details emerged regarding KISS frontman, Gene Simmons, and an application at the U.S Patent and Trademark Office. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it has emerged that Simmons has applied to register his infamous ‘devil horn’ hand gesture, which consists of the index and small finger pointed upwards and the thumb extended, as a…
This year, Sony Picture Studios, the American Entertainment Company, are planning on releasing a new film entitled ‘The Emoji Movie’. For those of you not familiar with the term ‘emoji’, they are small digital images used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication. Following Apple’s inclusion of emoji’s in their devices, they have…
Two unlikely parties, Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis and cereal giant, Kellogg’s, have become embroiled in a legal dispute in Australia. But what do these two parties have to argue about? Kellogg’s produces a cereal brand called Special K, which it introduced 1955 in the US and which has become well known globally since. Special…
Jaya Mandelia and Namrita Kochhar of Indian Law Firm, Singh & Singh, have recently written an article, which can be found here, highlighting the problems being faced by brand owners whose marks are known but not yet registered overseas. The increase in on-line retailing and advertising has resulted in brands gaining international exposure. Trade mark…
The US based donut and coffeehouse company Dunkin’ Donuts, which operates from more than 11,300 locations worldwide, has sought to protect its slogan ‘America Runs on Dunkin’ from alleged trade mark infringement. Dunkin Donuts sent a cease and desist letter to independent coffeehouse Mike’s Coffee over the use of the phrase ‘Plainville and North now…
The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) is a specialist court operating within the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice. The court has existed in some form since 1990 but following a rebranding exercise in October 2013, the IPEC was formally established. The IPEC has jurisdiction over intellectual property cases including patents, trademarks and…
It emerged last week that IMG universe, the company behind the Miss Universe Pageant, has commenced legal proceedings against Czech Republic based company Diamonds International Corp (DIC), the company responsible for creating the events much sought after crowns. IMG, International Management Group, is a global sports and talent management company. Its parent company William Morris…
