RUSSIA: LIQUOR FIRM WINS TRADEMARKS FOR
CHAMPAGNE & VODKA:
Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual
Property, Patents and Trademarks (Rospatent) recently
accepted an application filed by liquor firm Soyuzplodoimport
to trademark “Soviet Champagne” and
“Russian Vodka”. Rospatent agreed with
the firm that the terms were commonly known. Soyuzplodoimport’s
CEO, Vladimir Loginov, says that his company filed
for the trademarks prior to Russia’s entry
into the World Trade Organisation, which is scheduled
for September 2006. Once Russia becomes a WTO member
its registered trademarks will receive extra protection
worldwide. Soyuzplodoimport is also seeking to have
the vodka brand name “Stolichnaya” and
“Moskovskaya” declared commonly known.
Source: Just do IP Issue 292 / dt 16-09-2005.
SOUTH AFRICA: TRADEMARK SPAT OVER RUGBY
RIGHTS DENIED:
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) and its publishing
partner Highbury Safika Media are currently engaged
in discussions concerning Highbury’s entitlement
to use the “SA RUGBY” trademark in its
“RA Rugby Magazine”. A degree of tension
between the two entities had been reported over
the use of the trademark during negotiations to
extend Highbury’s contract, which expires
in 2007. The Union responded by saying that, “Currently,
the trademark is a discussion point and contrary
to media speculation we have made no threats and
Highbury have made no demands.”
Source: Just do IP Issue 292 / dt 16-09-2005.
SOUTH KOREA: EXAM QUESTIONS SUBJECT TO
COPYRIGHT PROTECTION:
In a recent decision, the Seoul Central District
Court has ruled that school exam questions are subject
to copyrights protection. The court was responding
to an application for provisional disposition filed
by teachers at 32 Korean high schools to bar a private
educational service provider from selling their
questions over the Internet. The questions were
deemed by the court to be creative products under
South Korea’s copyright protection law. Lawsuits
against private educational institutes for infringing
copyrights and school integrity are now anticipated.
Source: Just do IP Issue 292 / dt 16-09-2005.
UK: GOOGLE COULD FACE LEGAL ACTION OVER
GMAIL TRADEMARK:
Independent Intellectual Investment Research
(IIIR), which claims ownership of the Gmail trademark,
has announced that it may take action against Google
regarding its Gmail wed-based email service. IIIR
maintains that it holds a prior right to the trademark,
saying that its ownership of the trademark predates
the launch of Google’s Gmail service by around
two years. IIIR has called on Google to recongnise
its right to the trademark and to agree to licensing
terms.
Source: Just do IP Issue 292 / dt 16-09-2005.
US: APPLE APPLIES TO REGISTER “IPODCAST”:
Apple has registered an application to trademark
the term “iPodCast”. The application
apparently “casts as wide a net as possible
over which markets the trademark would cover”.
Some observes have suggested that through the application,
the company is seeking to make podcasting into a
proprietary Apple property.
Source: Just do IP Issue 292 / dt 16-09-2005.
US: TRADEMARK CASE BETWEEN GEICO AND GOOGLE
RESOLVED:
The case between Geico (Government Employees Insurance
Co), the US car insurer and Google, the online search
engine over Google’s online advertising method
has been resolved “to the mutual satisfaction
of the parties”. Geico’s lawsuit objected
to the system employed by Google that displayed
rivals’ ads when Internet searchers entered
“Geico” as a search term on the Google
search engine. The practice, Geico claimed, constituted
a breach of its trademark.
Source: Just do IP Issue 292 / dt 16-09-2005.
