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With the expanding popularity of social media, the use of the hashtag symbol (#) – a social media tool placed in front of a word or phrase to create a metadata tag to indicate what a message is about – in conjunction with trade marks has become increasingly common. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) recently addressed the issue of what role the inclusion of the hashtag plays in differentiating similar marks in the precedential opinion issued in In re i.am.symbolic, llc.

Nigeria uses the International Classification of Goods and Services for its trade mark registration system. However, there was a time when it used the old British Classification system, a system that consisted of 50 classes (all for goods). Although the Nigerian Trade Marks Act 1990 does make provision for the reclassification of old registrations, there are still many trade marks on the register that were classified under the old system. So is there any disadvantage to having a registration that was classified under the old classification system?

Despite the seemingly unlimited choice of words and the vast imagination of people, collision between similar words, real or coined, is not infrequent. In normal life these words are homonyms or homophones and do not pose any problems in everyday activities. It is a different story in the world of intellectual property. Same or similar words may mean different things but in the eyes of the consumer they are the same and for businesses they may mean loss.

In-house counsel say the EPO Technical Board of Appeal’s conclusion that plants made from essentially biological processes are patentable could usher in another decade of protection uncertainty in the industry

In-house counsel say the EPO Technical Board of Appeal’s conclusion that plants made from essentially biological processes are patentable could usher in another decade of protection uncertainty in the industry

A self-service airport baggage drop system and a medical imaging apparatus were the winners at the recent DesignEuropa awards. Managing IP interviewed representatives of both winning companies about their successful products

Innovator and generics drug companies share their reaction to the judgment in Warner-Lambert v Generics. One in-house lawyer explains that it will be particularly detrimental to small innovator companies and “does not reflect the scientific reality of drug development”

Innovator and generics drug companies share their reaction to the judgment in Warner-Lambert v Generics. One in-house lawyer explains that it will be particularly detrimental to small innovator companies and “does not reflect the scientific reality of drug development”

Benjamin Bai of Ant Financial believes patenting pure algorithms, pure compilation of information and pure business methods will be the future of blockchain patenting

How are Nestlé and Proctor & Gamble dealing with the challenges of online counterfeiting and increased cross-border trade?