Search results for

Owners of design rights have any number of laws to rely on when protecting their products in China. But too much uncertainty surrounds the best legal option to take. The authorities must make protection easier, argues Jan De Visser

When it comes to using patents to provide more brand and shareholder value, some companies may be getting in the way of their own success. In the following excerpt from their chapter in the book From Ideas to Assets – Investing Wisely in Intellectual Property (John Wiley & Sons), Bruce Berman and James D Woods show how the importance of these patents may be overlooked and under-communicated

The Tokyo High Court has upheld the Japanese Patent Office ban on obtaining trade marks for retail services. The internationalization of the country’s trade mark system could persuade the authorities to change their stance, say Shusaku Yamamoto and John Tessensohn

A trademark owner in the Netherlands has the right to lodge an application, in writing, with the the customs authorities requiring them to keep a watch for counterfeit goods. This is on the basis of EU regulation 3295/94 (December 22 1994) and EU regulation 1367/95 (June 16 1995) which both came into force in the Netherlands on July 1 1997. On the basis of this application, customs authorities are allowed to detain or to suspend the release of a suspicious consignment for a brief period, during which the trademark holder can initiate legal measures.

? China: Sohu.com has responded to a copyright infringement suit from Sina.com, its mainland rival, by counter-suing for copyright infringement and unfair competition. The cases concern the use of cellphone screen designs.

In a recent pronouncement, the Council of State in Colombia has ruled that the domain .co is the property of the state, not of its administrator the Universidad de los Andes.

You are getting a lot more than simply going to the patent office to do your search

In April and May 2000, the Mexican Federal Administrative Proceedings Law was amended on a supplementary basis. The changes meant that standards for the administrative proceedings of the law became applicable to all actions filed before the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (the IMPI). These included trade mark registration, granting of patents, nullity and infringement actions.

Interview: Anne Chasser Ingrid Hering interviews Anne Chasser, Commissioner for Trademarks at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Formerly the director of Trademarks and Licensing Services at Ohio State University, she has also served as president of the International Trademark Association and is a founder of the Association of Collegiate Licensing Administrators.

As the Gulf Cooperation Council’s patent system goes from strength to strength, Ralph Cunningham examines how patent owners are benefiting from improved protection and enforcement throughout the region