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In 1992, the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP) refused a trade mark application due to its confusing similarity to the unregistered, but well-known, McDonald's trade mark of the US fast-food chain. This refusal was based merely on the reputation of the mark, as McDonald's – at the time – had not yet used or shown any intention to use the mark in Vietnam. This was the very first case involving a well-known mark in Vietnam.

Owners of marks that are well-known outside the United States may find that an American company has attempted to take advantage of the renown of the foreign mark by obtaining a trade mark registration for such mark in the United States. While Article 6(bis) of the Paris Convention provides the owner of a famous foreign trade mark with a basis for asserting and sustaining a claim of priority in the US over a US registrant, this provision does not provide a basis for cancelling a US registration absent use of the mark in the US.

The breakthrough and boom of the internet and the speed with which it developed brought about many conflicts and abuses related to the improper use of domain names.

A Belgian insurance company launched a reward programme for safe drivers under the name DVV OsCar and filed a semi-figurative trade mark including that denomination. It used the title "And the OsCar goes to…" in some online advertising too.

The International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI) has appointed Andrew Hirsch (left) as executive director and Richard Litman as general counsel. Both will focus on IIPI's aim to help academic, industry and government leaders adopt the best international IP practices and models for innovation-based economic and societal development. IIPI was founded and headed by Bruce Lehman, the Clinton Administration USPTO Commissioner and Assistant Secretary of Commerce.

The government says that the exceptions will benefit a range of people

There was a session on plain packaging at the INTA Annual Meeting in Hong Kong in May (the rest of the session title was "Who will it affect next?")

With less than two years before the first patents are due to be filed under the new unitary patent system in Europe, what do IP owners plan to do with their IP filings, and where are they going to litigate them?

Paul McLachlan and Alex Hutchens of McCullough Robertson warn against an element of Australian competition law that creates particular risk for licensing

Malcolm McBratney and Dylan Kerrigan of McCullough Robertson advise on the deceptively straightforward area of franchise arrangements in Australia