Trade mark protection for creative product – Rubik’s Cube
Have you registered the shape of a technically sophisticated product, such as the Rubik’s Cube, as a trade mark? Then check again whether the trade mark is really protectable.
Have you registered the shape of a technically sophisticated product, such as the Rubik’s Cube, as a trade mark? Then check again whether the trade mark is really protectable.
A variation of the famous protected Coca-Cola bottle was registered as a three-dimensional trade mark. Why was it possible for this shape of product be protected as a trade mark?
Do not jeopardise your brand by using it incorrectly on the packaging.
You’ve spotted a new sales opportunity for your company. However, in Germany trade mark rights pose an obstacle and so you approach your lawyer for advice on your intended solution. Does this course of action relieve you of your legal obligations, meaning that you can avoid prosecution for trade mark infringement? It is not that simple.
You might consider placing Google Ads for your Internet shop. But a project such as this needs to be thought through carefully.
Trade mark infringement by online marketplace – Amazon. Can an online marketplace be liable for trade mark infringement because it has stocked and also shipped a seller’s infringing goods?
Your trade marks should not, if possible, share similarities with earlier signs. The Court of Justice of the European Union now has set a high benchmark in this regard. They must be strictly observed, otherwise your trade marks may be in great danger and you may inadvertently become an infringer who will be obliged to pay damages.
‘Biogena Naturprodukte’, an Austrian manufacturer of dietary supplements, had the slogan ‘ZUM wohl’ for foodstuffs registered as an Austrian organic brand. However, the Court of First Instance of the European Union denied the sign protection as a Union trade mark.
A particularly attractive opportunity, economically, in terms of trademark law is the registration of a trade mark for a product shape. This was precisely the basis of protection for the well-known Gardena hose syringes and their particular coloured shape. However, over the course of time Gardena had changed the colours of this trademarked product. Was that damaging?
How can you protect yourself from greenwashing and give your customers real proof of the sustainability of your products or services? There’s now a new way to do this.