Welcome again Colombia! Lucia again collaborates with our blog. Our colleague Lucia obtained her J.D. in 2012 at Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia. Ever since she has focused on Intellectual Property Law, having practical experience in Trademark and Patent prosecution and enforcement, her main areas are Biotechnology Patents and IP licensing. Currently she is a future L.L.M candidate at…
Trademark parody is what happens when somebody apes another person’s trademark without their consent for a comic or satirical effect. It is a parody if the distinctive function of the original (host) trademark is not appropriated by the derivative (parody) work. Who doesn’t remember the Danish group Aqua’s song “Barbie Girl”? When Mattel sued over the use of the “Barbie”…
It’s a pleasure to collaborate with lawyers from other countries. Professionally, we often work with Ben Natter of Natter & Natter, an intellectual property law firm in New York. Among the firm’s specialties are anti-counterfeiting measures, fashion law and ip protection in China. On this occasion we have an entry on the issue of counterfeiting from the hand of Cynthia…
Whenever a trademark registration application is submitted, the applicant has to take the obligation to use the trademark very seriously. Only if it is used does a distinctive sign do its job of singling out one product from all the others on the market. Most legislations the world over require a trademark to be used in a certain form within…
Who doesn’t recognize an Apple store at first sight? That was one of the main reasons why in 2010 Apple Inc. started the process of registering its business model as a three-dimensional trademark. Apply took two trademarks it already held as the foundation from which to kick off its 3-D trademark expansion strategy. These trademarks showed a black-and-white design of…
Who doesn’t feel like a break? Let’s talk about chocolate bars and three-D trademarks! On 8 July 2010, Nestlé applied for protection of a three-dimensional trademark for its Kit Kat chocolate bar in the UK. Each bar is engraved with “Kit Kat” in relief with the characteristic oval. However, the trademark application did not include these features; it referred only…
On this occasion let me introduce you to my colleague and friend Lucia Tamayo, she obtained her J.D. in 2012 at Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia. Ever since she has focused on Intellectual Property Law, having practical experience in Trademark and Patent prosecution and enforcement, her main areas are Biotechnology Patents and IP licensing. Currently she is a future L.L.M…
There’s a big commotion amongst fans of the fearless reporter Tintin, whose copyright was controlled in the beginning by Les Estudios Herge. However, after the death of author George Remi (better known as Herge), there were two societies linked to the exploitation rights. The Herge Foundation managed and directed by Remi’s widow Fanny, promoted the conservation of the studios and works,…
On this occasion let me introduce you to my colleague Ben Natter, an intellectual property attorney with the boutique firm Natter & Natter in New York City. Ben has a client base from the fashion and technology fields and specializes in fashion law. It is always a pleasure to work together. Ben shares with us a hot topic related to trademark…
Se acerca el viernes ¿a quien no le apetece un respiro? ¡Hablemos de chocolates y marcas tridimensionales! El 8 de julio de 2010 Nestlé solicitó en la protección de la marca tridimensional de la chocolatina para U.K. Cada barra esta grabada la expresión KitKat en relieve con el ovalo característico. Sin embargo la marca solicitada no incluía los términos mencionados, sino…
