Supreme Court resolves Circuit split by setting forth standard that owners of famous trademarks must prove “actual dilution” as opposed to “likelihood of dilution” in order to prevail on a Federal Trademark Dilution Act (FTDA) claim.The Supreme Court handed down its decision in the Moseley dba Victor’s Little Secret v ...
Introduction: On March 4, 2003, the United States Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision, written by Justice John Paul Stevens, regarding the Federal Trademark Dilution Act (“FTDA”) ...
A trademark is any sign which, in the course of trade, can distinguish the goods or services from those of other undertakings. Trademarks are often also used as indications of a certain quality or life style (such as Lancome® trademark represents the luxury cosmetics) or as a marketing tool (such as the IKEA® and VOLVO® marks, which are featured not only on furniture but also on their services) ...
The EU Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances in Electronic and Electrical Equipment (ROHS) are due to take effect from 13 August 2005. The Department of the Environment recently produced draft regulations to implement these directives and make the necessary amendments to existing waste legislation ...
In this edition: - New Corporate Manslaughter Rules - ’64 Act Stamped Out - Lock Up Your Ladders! - News Round Up - Planning: Out of Town - Out of Mind? - Use Classes Change
Directive of the European Parliament No. 2004/27EC of 31 March 2004 amending Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use (OJ EU [2004], L 136, p. 34) Scientific progress and the development of new types of products explain the rise in issues regarding the legal qualification of so-called “borderline” products ...
Commission Guidelines for the Notification of Dangerous Consumer Products to the Competent Authorities of the Member States by Producers and Distributors in accordance with Article 5(3) of Directive 2001/95/EC (Commission document No ...
In our previous ezines we tracked the progress of the Alcohol Products (Control of Advertising, Sponsorship and Marketing Practices/Sales Promotions) Bill. The Bill was set to have a major impact on the relationship between alcohol advertising and sport in Ireland but a recent controversial turnabout by the Government means that the Bill may never be enacted ...
The English Court of Appeal has thrown out an attempt to appeal a decision in favour of Dyson about spare parts for Dyson vacuum cleaners. Dyson sued spare parts supplier Qualtex for infringement of Dyson's unregistered design rights (UDR) in 14 spare parts manufactured by Qualtex. The spare parts were deliberately designed to look like the originals, known as "pattern parts" in the trade ...
Keeping in Shape – Trademark Protection of Product ConfigurationsThe development of unique and distinctive product configurations allows the producer of the product to achieve more bang for its marketing dollar. The consumer not only cognitively associates the manufacturer’s word mark with the product, but also its configuration. In this context, the oft cited example is the Coca-Cola bottle shape ...
Broadband providers will be required to ensure that their ten million UK customers can more easily take advantage of cheaper broadband deals in an increasingly competitive market, under new regulations proposed by the UK communications industry watchdog OFCOM on 17 August 2006 ...
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday published its long awaited revisions to the FTC’s Franchising Rule. The new disclosures may be used effective July 1, 2007 and must be used for all franchises offered or sold after July 1, 2008. The Amended Rule prescribes a disclosure format which largely mirrors the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular ("UFOC") format, and modifies it in certain places by adding new disclosures ...
February 2007 UK retail sales rose 0.6% on a like-for-like basis against a weak comparative in February 2006, when sales had fallen. The three-month trend rate of growth weakened in February to 0.9% from 1.1% in January for like-for-like sales, but rose to 4.2% from 3.6% for total sales, reflecting the continued growth of retail space.Clothing and footwear were still difficult but food sales improved, helped by Valentine’s Day, after a flat January ...
According to statistics, 76% of the leading 100 UK retailers have plans to replace at least one of their core IT systems in 2008. Ensuring that your IT system is up to date is vital. Using outdated software packages often results in poor service delivery and inefficient business management. Many old systems are not capable of meeting current legislation requirements or are not able to deliver reports to demonstrate compliance ...
Patents offer useful services. With them, the holder can prevent competitors from offering products using the patented technology. In addition to the rights that a patent holder has had up until now (injunction, disclosure, indemnification), now a fourth right is joining in on the action and is continuously gaining in significance. This right involves the right to inspection. It is especially important in the case of process patents and at trade shows ...
In one of the first decisions in Quebec since the landmark Domtar case(1), the Québec Court of Appeal has refined the parameters of the liability of a professional vendor and of a manufacturer for a latent defect. In this case,(2), Joseph Élie Limitée (“Élie”) had sold an oil tank manufactured by Réservoirs d’acier Granby (“Granby”), and supplied the oil to its customer, who was insured by Federation Insurance Company of Canada (“Federation”) ...
In one of the first decisions in Quebec since the landmark Domtar case(1), the Québec Court of Appeal has refined the parameters of the liability of a professional vendor and of a manufacturer for a latent defect. In this case,(2), Joseph Élie Limitée (“Élie”) had sold an oil tank manufactured by Réservoirs d’acier Granby (“Granby”), and supplied the oil to its customer, who was insured by Federation Insurance Company of Canada (“Federation”) ...
One more lengthy battle in a legal saga has just come to an end. Indeed, on June 4, 2008, the Court, comprised of Quebec’s Chief Justice, Michel Robert, and Justices Jacques Chamberland and Louis Rochette, rendered a unanimous judgment.(1)To set the stage, consider a salmonella outbreak in Abitibi, some premature deaths, dozens of persons poisoned, three producing farms.. ...
The increasing number of recalls of consumer products in recent years is indicative of a trend that has raised concerns for governmental authorities. In response, the Canadian government announced, on April 8, 2008, a reform of the existing legislation to strengthen the protection of human health and safety. The first step was the introduction of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (Bill C-52) and the second, the reform (Bill C-51) of the Food and Drugs Act (R.S.C ...
Since the establishment of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in late 2004, banks and other financial-service providers established or registered within the DIFC have been restricted to operating only in the wholesale market. From July 1, 2008 it has, however, been possible to provide financial services to retail customers in or from the DIFC. Initially, the DIFC was described as a wholesale financial-services environment ...
The three major automobile manufacturers in the United States, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, have indicated that without significant financial assistance from the government a filing for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code is likely. Such a filing would have a significant impact on car dealers ...
Consumers currently spend €24bn every year in cross-border transactions, but this is only a fraction of the potential market.Many individuals are dissuaded from spending more by doubts over issues such as delivery timescales and after-sales service.EU forecasters expect online revenues within Member States to grow by 230% in the next five years, but only if the way is smoothed by the adoption of a new Consumer Rights Directive ...
But which practical actions could add up to substantial cost savings in the current climate and for the future?: try to capitalise on potential rent savings in volatile markets look to release funds from the portfolio - sweat the assets make sure that service charges are kept in check act quickly on sub-tenant default These are the key messages:
The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) expressed her opinion in respect of a reference for a preliminary ruling from a German court. The main proceedings before the German court concern a German distance retailer who tried to charge the customer of a second-hand laptop for the eight months of use she had ...
