OHIM Archives - King & Wood Mallesons Pulse

Does it matter which Board of Appeal hears your case when it comes to the distinctiveness inquiry under article 7(1)(b)?

7 March 2015

Some recent decisions – and topical ones at that, with the holiday season imminently approaching for this new father (hi Jack and Willy!) – relating to the treatment of 2D and 3D marks

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You ain’t nothing but a hound dog (or an immaterial variation thereof)! Hush Puppies logo CTM survives non-use action

24 February 2015

By Bill Ladas

In El Corte Ingles v Wolverine World Wide, Inc, the much beloved logo of Hush Puppies (hereinafter, hound) has survived a non-use attack in Europe in some key classes.

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Lies, damned lies and social media coverage of trade mark disputes – the TV programme previously known as “Glee”?

24 July 2014

By Bill Ladas

Remember when you could rely on social media for fair, unbiased and objective coverage of the news? Me neither.

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OHIM’s Boards of Appeal taking a hard line on absolute grounds against stylised marks, but is this on the right basis?

18 June 2014

By Bill Ladas

Not so long ago, one could simply add a flourish to an entirely descriptive word in order to achieve registration without an objection based on absolute grounds. Well, it looks like we can confidently say that those days are long gone, at least insofar as OHIM’s Board of Appeal is concerned.

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“Do’hhhh …!!” or should that be “Dough …!!” – Panrico shuts out another Donut brand in Europe

29 May 2014

By Bill Ladas

It may be surprising to many that up until now it has been very difficult to register a trade mark containing DONUTS (or a variation):

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Using your trade marks in colour? Act now to confirm appropriate coverage in the UK and Europe for your valuable brands

17 April 2014

By Bill Ladas

IP practitioners have heard it all when it comes to rules of thumb. The infamous “10 percent rule” immediately springs to mind

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