Lidl checks out of Tesco IP battle with partial win
The England and Wales High Court handed victory to Lidl in the battle of the supermarkets on Wednesday, April 19, ruling that Tesco’s Clubcard logo infringed Lidl’s store logo.
In her judgment, Mrs Justice Joanna Smith found Tesco had taken unfair advantage of Lidl’s reputation and had damaged the distinctive character of the Lidl logo.
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Samsung joins Avanci 4G patent pool
Samsung has joined Avanci’s 4G automotive patent pool as a licensor, the parties announced on Tuesday, April 18.
The South Korea-based electronics company will also license its patents via Avanci’s new Broadcast pool and Aftermarket, Avanci said.
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Exclusive: Keltie loses first partner to ‘transformative’ IP firm
Intellectual property firm Brandit set up a UK office that is founded by senior lawyers from Keltie, including the first partner ever to leave the firm, Managing IP revealed on Tuesday, April 18.
Brandit also unveiled a new technology platform, which will be rolled out across its European offices and which the firm hopes will transform client management.
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Key witness flips in US real estate copyright row
The Delhi High Court imposed an injunction against an Indian agent of US real estate platform Crexi, marking a blow for the US outfit’s cross-border copyright dispute with rival business CoStar.
The high court’s decision, on April 7, came after 247 WebSupport admitted facilitating copyright infringement on the instruction of Crexi. The India-based company had previously denied wrongdoing before the US District Court for the Central District of California.
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Other articles published by Managing IP this week include:
Heavy caseload pushing China’s top IP court to play safe: counsel
Counsel laud Judge Newman's IP influence despite misconduct probe
Copyright trials may adopt patent procedures post-Fed Circuit ruling
SEP owners brace for bad news despite EU lobbying
Weekly take: Newman probe must be backed by evidence beyond delays
Elsewhere in IP
SEP backlash
Former US officials urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to drop controversial standard essential patent proposals yesterday, April 20. The group, which includes ex USPTO directors David Kappos and Andrei Iancu, said the EU’s plans would allow international rivals to devalue European patent rights. The proposals are due to be published next Wednesday, April 26, but were leaked in draft form earlier this month
Fintiv update
The USPTO is considering new rules to limit use of the post-grant review system at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, it announced today, April 21. The proposed rules would give the USPTO director greater discretion to deny petitions for inter partes review.
Climate guidance
The Law Society of England and Wales published first-of-its-kind guidance on climate change for solicitors on Wednesday, April 19. The document outlines how climate change could be relevant to client advice and solicitors’ professional duties. It also covers issues that may be relevant for practitioners when considering the solicitor-client relationship in the context of climate change.
Daikin joins LOT
Japanese conglomerate Daikin has joined the LOT Network, it announced on Wednesday, April 19. When a LOT member sells a patent to a patent assertion entity (PAE), a licence for that patent is then granted to all other members of the network.
Takeo Abe, Daikin’s IP department manager, said joining the network provides protection against costly, unwanted PAE litigation and gives opportunities to collaborate with other members.
Mercedes targets Lenovo
Mercedes sued Lenovo for infringing its three-pointed star trademark in a North Carolina federal court on Tuesday, April 18. The German carmaker claimed the logo for Lenovo’s Legion computer was “confusingly similar” to its own mark. Legion is a high-end line of gaming laptops.
‘Wagatha Christie’
Rebekah Vardy trademarked the phrase ‘Wagatha Christie’ on Friday, April 14. The term references the nickname given to a high-profile dispute in which Vardy, who was accused of leaking information about Coleen Rooney to the UK press, unsuccessfully sued Rooney for defamation. ‘Wag’ stands for wives and girlfriends and is used by the press to refer to the partners of English football players. The mark was registered by London Entertainment Inc, reportedly on Vardy’s behalf.
