Blog Archive
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 22, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksWhat Can’t I register as a trade mark?What Can’t I register as a trade mark? There are a number of reasons a trade mark application may be refused (we can guide you through this) but here is a summary: • be offensive, e.g. contain profanities or other offensive language • Describe the goods or services it will relate to, e.g. the word ‘Mobile application’ can’t be a trade mark for a mobile application! [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 22, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksThe Advantages of a Registered Trade Mark.The Advantages of a Registered Trade Mark. If you have a business, you have a trademark and if you're serious about your brand, you should protect it with a registered trademark. What is a trademark? Your trademark is the symbol your customers use to identify and distinguish you from your competitors. Many of you will have quirky/original names for your business but have you considered brand protection? Every business needs to have a registered trade mark which when [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 21, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksInstagram wins in its bid to get the EU trademark Instaweather declared invalid.Instagram wins in its bid to get the EU trademark Instaweather declared invalid. The Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (“OHIM”) recently declared the invalidity of the registered Community trademark “instaweather”. On the same day, the Office also declared the invalidity of the trademarks “instaplace”, “instakids”, “travelgram” and “instaweather pro”, which had been registered by the same person, [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 20, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksThe general principle in relation to geographical trade marks is they cannot be registered.The general principle in relation to geographical trade marks is they cannot be registered. If the law allowed their registration it would lead to the creation of monopolies over places in which a number of businesses would operate from. It would create an unfair advantage. This principle is outlined in section 1 (c) of the Trade Marks Act 1994 which states “trade marks which consist exclusively of signs or indications which may serve, in trade, to designate the kind, quality, [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 20, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksSimilar Trademark ClassesSimilar Trademark Classes When deciding whether goods or services are similar for the purposes of the Trade Mark Act, issues such as the nature of the goods or services, their end users, their methods of use and whether they are in competition with one another or just complementary will be considered. Any assessment of similarity will be made by reference to the relevant public for the respective goods. This public will be consumers in general, for many types of goods, but consist of [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 20, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksTrademark registrationTrademark registration If you are unfamiliar with the trade mark registration process then it can seem quite a daunting prospect; it needn't be. You could navigate the process yourself but like with most things in life- do you have the time? A specialist company can wade through the red tape in no time and explain the proceedure to you. If you have a new busines name, product or service that needs protection, you may not be sure of which type of intellectual property you need. A trade mark [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 15, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksWith the popularity of social media increasing every day, it is the perfect platform for any business to build a brand.With the popularity of social media increasing every day, it is the perfect platform for any business to build a brand. Twitter in particular has found itself the perfect place for businesses to have instant interaction with the industry and its customers. A key component of Twitter’s concept is the hashtag. It allows companies to easily track the conversations, to understand how popular their products or services are and to generally increase awareness online. To combine this [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 15, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksComplete this checklist to ensure that you have the best success when submitting your trade mark applicationComplete this checklist to ensure that you have the best success when submitting your trade mark application Get advice from the experts- The Trademarkroom will aid you through your application, divulging their wealth of experience and knowledge. Make your mark unique- To create a clear brand that sets you apart from other businesses in the area of work that the mark will be registered for, try inventing a word or creating a logo that is not directly linked to the class of goods or [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 15, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksThe history of how trade mark law in the UK has developedMerchandise Marks Act 1862 - Made copying another person’s trade mark for personal gain a criminal offence Trade Marks Registration Act 1875 - created a system of formal registration for trade marks with the records held at the UK Patent Office. The 1875 act also revived the definition of a trade mark. The new definition was "a device, or mark, or name of an individual or firm printed in some particular and distinctive manner; or a written signature or copy of a written signature [...]Read more
- Posted by Jane Coyle on October 15, 2015 / Posted in Trade MarksCambridge University has lost in its bid to gain control the domain Cambridge.com from its owners.Cambridge University has lost in its bid to own the domain Cambridge.com from its owners. Kirkland Holdings LLC of Brookline Massachusetts purchased Cambridge.com for US$85,000 in 2010 and uses it to run a site called “Everything Cambridge” that offers tourist information for both the US and English cities of Cambridge. The cambridge.com/uk part of the site also offers information about the University. This has caused the University to argue that the actions are a deliberate [...]Read more