Recently , a European Court ruled in favour of US fast food giant McDonald’s, restraining a Singapore based company from using the word ‘Mac’ as a prefix on its foods and beverages. One of the primary aims of every trademark law is to prevent consumer confusion. Trademark law provides exclusive rights to the proprietors of a particular trademark, thus allowing them to carve out a niche for their product in the existing market.
In 2008, a Singaporean Company had applied…
This post discusses the latest development relating to the movie ‘Sultan’. The movie was released today, i.e.on 6.07.2016. Ahead of the release of the much awaited movie ‘Sultan’, Yash Raj Films approached the Bombay High Court ,seeking for an interim injunction to fight piracy. Yash Raj Films filed an application after they came across websites hosting several links to download the yet to be released movie ‘Sultan’. These links although dormant at the time of making the application are bound…
Kriti, a short film by Shirish Kunder, has been taken down by YouTube amidst a copyright controversy initiated by a filmmaker from Nepal, Aneel Neupane. The short film, Kriti, was uploaded on YouTube on June 22, 2016. The short film had bagged over two million views within 2 days. However, on June 24, Kriti found itself in controversy as Neupane updated a facebook status, openly accusing Kriti to be a copy of his short film, Bob. Neupane claimed that he…
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently published guidelines for examination of patent applications relating to pharmaceuticals.The guidelines have highlighted the need for examining pharmaceutical patents from the perspective of public health.The guidelines set by Prof. Carlos M Correa strongly recommend nations to set out specific and more stringent standards for pharmaceutical patents. The guidelines also encourage patent offices to exploit the flexibilities allowed by the TRIPS Agreement with regard to the aforementioned guidelines. In his foreword, Mandeep Dhaliwal,…
A lot has been discussed and speculated about the referendum “Brexit”. The UK has voted to leave the EU on June 23rd , 2016. This decision will have far reaching effects, including potential effects on intellectual property rights in the UK. June 23rd 2016, will be a landmark date in the European and British history.
Under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the UK must now notify the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU, which will…
Jury clears Led Zeppelin’s "Stairway to Heaven" from copyright infringement claim
A lawsuit alleging copyright infringement was brought against Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin group by Michael Skidmore. He alleged that there were similarities between the opening chords for 1971 song Stairway To Heaven and a composition called Taurus which was released four years earlier by a band called Spirit.
The US District Judge Gary Klausner had ruled in April that “Stairway to Heaven” bore “substantial” similarities with…
Trademarks are known as business identifiers and they play an indispensable role in the growth of a particular business. With the globalization of markets , growing importance of brand advertising for manufacturers and subsequent brand awareness of consumers, trademarks have become increasingly important and valuable. Trade marks are crucial trading instruments because consumers ascertain the quality and standard of goods and services with the trade source.While trademark laws provide monopoly rights to the proprietor of a mark to use…
The IP community is well aware about the major reforms that have been implemented recently by the EU( European Union). The European Trademark law has undergone significant changes since the introduction of the Community Trademark system in 1996. The recently adopted European Trademark Reforms have brought in substantial changes not only to Community trademarks but also for owners of national trademarks in the EU.
India has been protesting without any success, against one such new directive in the area…
The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness. Yoga is a 5000 year old Indian body of knowledge. Today it is practiced in various forms around the world. Yoga may be one route to distance children and teenagers from external distractions of today's world, leading to more focus, and more healthy body and mind.
Today on, International day of Yoga, let us take a look…
Well I am guessing the title of this post may have piqued your interest. ‘Sipping on IP’ is an initiative taken by BananaIP Counsels, where everyone gathers over coffee and lets ideas, discussions and conversations about intellectual property brew. There are no ground rules and the conversation can be about varied topics from more current pressing issues to any IP related concept. It is a great way to connect, take a break and learn from your peers.
Let’s see what we sipped…