The majority of photographs entered to date in Brands in the Picture, Novagraaf's search for the best brand-related photo of 2013, have come...
News and actualities
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Brands in the Picture 2013: Dutch entrants leading the charge
14/05/2013 -
Communication regarding the IP TRANSLATOR-judgment
14/05/2013On May 2nd, the national trademark authorities of the EU-countries, together with the European trademark authority (OHIM), have released a... -
New UK intellectual property bill announced in Queen’s Speech
14/05/2013The intellectual property (IP) bill announced in the Queen’s Speech 2013 on 8 May has now been published. According to the UK’s Minister... -
The Union of the Comoros joins OAPI
8/05/2013On May 25th, next, the Union of the Comoros will join OAPI (African Intellectual Property Organization). The joining of the Union of Comoros... -
Counterfeit electronics on the rise
8/05/2013Figures released by the UK Border Force reveal a six-fold increase in the number of seized counterfeit electrical goods in the last four... -
Brands in the Picture 2013: only one month to go
1/05/2013Don’t miss out on the chance to enter Brands in the Picture, Novagraaf's search for the best brand-related photo of 2013. The competition... -
"Breastaurant" trademarked by Texas Sports Bar
25/04/2013Hooters may be the first place consumers think of when the term “breastaurants” comes up, but a Texas eatery is aiming to change that.... -
Amazon seeks patent on “wireless power”
25/04/2013Amazon.com’s founder Jeffrey Bezos is named as one of two inventors on an application for a patent on a portable device that receives both... -
Apple 1 – Google 0
25/04/2013Apple scored a win when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that it did not violate a Google patent to make the popular iPhones. The... -
Brands in the Picture 2013: more than 100 photos already submitted
16/04/2013Last week Novagraaf launched the third edition of its photography competition, Brands in the Picture, our search for the best brand-related... -
Libyan Trademark Office resumes work
16/04/2013Nearly two years after its services were interrupted as a result of the civil unrest in the country, the Trademark Office in Libya officially... -
Google changes its Adwords trademark policy
16/04/2013Google has made a revision on its policy towards complaints that Google receives regarding the use of trademarks as keywords. The revised... -
India joins the International Trademark System
16/04/2013On July 8th 2013, India officially joins the International Trademark System. This means that, when applying for an International Trademark... -
Novagraaf TM misused for possible identity fraud scam: beware!
12/04/2013Unfortunately, we have noticed that the Novagraaf trademark has been misused for possible identity fraud scam. Over the last couple of weeks,... -
Novagraaf searches for best ‘brand’ photo
3/04/2013Novagraaf is pleased to announce the launch of its photography competition, Brands in the Picture, our search for the best brand-related photo... -
Hosting provider Elcatel has to take down counterfeit sites
2/04/2013Hosting provider Elcatel was summoned last week by the Court in The Hague to take down eighteen websites that sell counterfeit products. If... -
gTLD’s: Trademark Clearinghouse now open
28/03/2013As off the 26th of March trademark owners are able to have their rights recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse of the Internet Corporation... -
Countdown to the Patent Box
25/03/2013The ‘Patent Box’ tax rate, coming into force in the UK on 1 April 2013, will enable companies to claim corporation tax relief on income... -
Twitter patents Twitter
25/03/2013Although Twitter famously has a pending patent on the familiar "pull-to-refresh" gesture, the company may have just acquired something more... -
Swiss IP in sport congress tackles key patent and trademark issues
19/03/2013The important role played by Intellectual Property (IP) in sport was the focus of the AROPIADE (the ‘IP Olympics’) held by Switzerland’s... -
Migros challenges ruling over the M-Watch trademark
19/03/2013In what has come to be seen as a ‘David versus Goliath’ battle over the rightful ownership of the Swiss M-Watch trademark, the Commercial... -
Tiffany & Co vs. Costco: ‘Tiffany setting’ a generic term?
19/03/2013While shopping at Costco, one of the largest discount retailers of the United States, a woman saw diamond and platinum engagement rings, sold... -
The Pirate Bay copyright conviction is justified
18/03/2013The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected an appeal from two founders of The Pirate Bay, saying that a Swedish court was right to... -
IP and tax experts help to ‘unlock the patent box’
12/03/2013The Norwich office of leading European Intellectual Property (IP) consultancy Novagraaf teamed up with financial advisory firm Grant Thornton... -
Copyright infringement Harlem Shake
12/03/2013The Harlem Shake, one of the biggest viral hits in 2013, is faced with an accusation of copyright violation. Reggae artist Hector Delgado and... -
Samsung loses another patent fight
11/03/2013South Korean phone-maker Samsung has lost another patent fight against rival Apple, in the UK High Court. Samsung had said technology used in... -
Another step forward for the Unified Patent Court
4/03/2013The international Agreement for establishing a Unified Patent Court (UPC) was signed on 19 February in Brussels. The signing of the Agreement... -
Decline in illegal music file sharing
28/02/2013According to market research firm NPD’s “Annual Music Study 2012”, illegal music file sharing declined significantly in 2012. Last year... -
Apple is developing an ‘iWatch’
26/02/2013A couple of weeks ago The New York Times revealed that Apple is prototyping a curved glass wristwatch. Fresh evidence that Apple has been... -
New domain extensions (gTLDs): prepare yourself now!
21/02/2013Most organisations are familiar with generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) extensions, such as .com, .org and .net. However, last year, ICANN (the... -
Social media for brand owners
19/02/2013Social media networks provide an opportunity to reach and interact with customers in new and, often, more effective ways. But, brand owners... -
Australian High Court ruling on Google Adwords
18/02/2013On February 6, last, the Australian High Court unanimously found that Google had not engaged itself in misleading or deceptive conduct by... -
Dr. Dre sues Yamaha
15/02/2013Hip-hop heavyweight Dr. Dre is suing Yamaha for marketing a line of “PRO” headphones that copies the design of the highly-popular Beats by... -
Does Apple loses iPhone trademark in Brazil? Yes!
14/02/2013Yesterday, Brazilian regulators have ruled that Apple does indeed not have exclusive rights to use the "iPhone" trademark in the country. The... -
Does Apple loses iPhone trademark in Brazil?
11/02/2013Apple is set to lose its iPhone trademark in Brazil. The trademark was challenged by Gradiente Eletronica SA, a Brazilian consumer... -
To be or not to be registered - part 2
4/02/2013In part 1 of ‘To be or not to be registered: the shapes of a product or packaging’, we informed you about the difficulties one might face... -
Mexico joins the International Trademark System
1/02/2013On February 19, Mexico officially joins the International Trademark System. This means that, when applying for an International Trademark... -
Intellectual property law and social media
31/01/2013A federal court in New York has ruled that Agence France-Presse (AFP) violated photographer Daniel Morel's copyrights by distributing his... -
Exxon most valuable company again
30/01/2013Oil company Exxon Mobil has once again surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable company after the iPhone and iPad maker saw its stock... -
Novagraaf adds Shaun Sherlock to London Practice
21/01/2013Leading European Intellectual Property (IP) consultancy Novagraaf is pleased to announce the addition of Shaun Sherlock to its highly-ranked... -
Portuguese winner for the 2012 Novagraaf Holiday Puzzle
21/01/2013More than 350 people took part in Novagraaf’s 2012 Holiday Puzzle, which was open for entries between 3 December and 4 January. Of the... -
To be or not to be registered: the shapes of a product or packaging
18/01/2013It is rather difficult to obtain a shape trademark registration, but it is possible. Shapes that are functional will be considered as not... -
Nike recovers domain name in Russia
17/01/2013The Moscow Commercial Court has ruled on January 15 to transfer the ‘Nike.ru’ domain name from businessman Stas Drugalyov to Nike's... -
The Winklevoss Twins help Superman
16/01/2013Warner Bros. scored a huge victory in the long-running and complex legal battle over the copyright to Superman. Interestingly, Warner Bros.... -
No, its not Apple or Samsung…its IBM
15/01/2013If you are looking for news about patents, its always about Apple or Samsung. Now 2012 has been concluded and if you take a look at the... -
New main office for Novagraaf in Amsterdam
7/01/2013Since Monday, December 31, 2012, Novagraaf’s main office is located at Hoogoorddreef 5 in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). This new office... -
US court rejects Apple’s claim on "appstore"
4/01/2013The US District Court for the Northern District of California rejected Apple's claim that Amazon's use of the term "appstore" in connection... -
US and EU seize 132 counterfeit domains
2/01/2013US and European authorities seized 132 alleged counterfeit websites at the end of last year. The US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)... -
What does the “New Internet” mean for your company?
20/12/2012Earlier this year, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) provided third parties the opportunity to apply for new generic... -
Unitary Patent clears another major hurdle
12/12/2012The EU Unitary Patent took another major step forward yesterday when the European Parliament voted in favour of the proposals for the... -
Novagraaf Amsterdam is moving
11/12/2012After 27 years at its offices at Hogehilweg 3, Amsterdam, Novagraaf Nederland BV is relocating. At the end of December, our (main) office will... -
New: How are we doing?
11/12/2012Some time ago, Novagraaf conducted a detailed customer satisfaction survey. The outcome of this survey was very positive: our customers... -
Google and Apple to buy Kodak patents
10/12/2012Apple and Google Inc. have joined forces to offer more than $500 million to buy Eastman Kodak Co’s patents out of bankruptcy. The two... -
Egypt lifts restrictions for trademark holders
7/12/2012The Egyptian Registry, EUN, has announced that it has now lifted restrictions on .EG domains for trademark holders. Since 12 November 2012,... -
Answer Novagraaf’s Holiday Puzzle; win a Sony e-reader!
3/12/2012With the holidays almost upon us, the Novagraaf Group would like to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful festive break. But, before... -
Prioritization draw for new gTLDs
26/11/2012On June 13th ICANN revealed the list of over 1,900 applicants for new gTLDs. But multiple brand owners made an application for the same... -
Apple ordered to share deal details HTC with Samsung
26/11/2012A US judge has ordered Apple to disclose details of its patent-sharing deal with HTC to its rival, Samsung. Apple and HTC signed a 10-year... -
Getty images can’t trademark Photos.com
26/11/2012Getty Images lost a European Union court appeal over its attempt to gain trademark protection for the name of its photos.com service. The... -
Opus Dei trademark violations
23/11/2012Opus Dei, the elite and powerful organization within the Roman Catholic Church, is suing a Danish publisher for alleged trademark violations... -
Industry recognition for Novagraaf’s Norwich experts
22/11/2012Two senior professionals from the Norwich office of Intellectual Property (IP) consultancy Novagraaf have been recognised for their expertise... -
Apple and HTC settlement
12/11/2012Apple and Taiwanese phonemaker HTC have settled all their outstanding disputes over patents, ending a fight that began in March 2010. The two... -
NBC trademark dispute over ‘Parenthood’ character name
12/11/2012In the NBC series ‘Parenthood’, one of the characters is named Hank Rizzoli, a grumpy photographer played by Ray Romano. Rizzoli... -
India revokes Roche's patent
9/11/2012India dealt a fresh blow to the international pharmaceutical industry last Friday as its patents appeal board revoked a patent granted six... -
New apologies Apple
9/11/2012Apple must re-write a statement on its website relating to its design rights dispute with Samsung, UK judges have ruled. Apple was forced on... -
Ideas are sexy too
29/10/2012In a recent case in the US, a Californian court ruled on the duration of the post-mortem right of publicity of Albert Einstein’s image. A... -
Beyoncé loses trademark bid
29/10/2012Beyoncé and Jay-Z can't trademark the name of their daughter, Blue Ivy, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has ruled, which means a Boston... -
EU warns Google
24/10/2012Google is to be told by the EU to change the way it gathers personal information if it is to avoid "high risks to the privacy of users".... -
Next steps in gTLD!?
24/10/2012On October 17th ICANN organized a session which promised to provide an update on the status of the Trademark Clearinghouse implementation.... -
Apple "borrows" design
24/10/2012Apple, sensitive about protecting its own designs, has struck a deal to use Swiss railway operator SBB's trademark station clock design on... -
20 years Novagraaf Belgium
19/10/2012On October 11, 2012 Novagraaf Belgium celebrated, together with its clients and staff, their 20th anniversary. The party was held in the... -
Software, Patents & Open Source - A Guide Through The Bermuda Triangle
17/10/2012Read Thibault Bouvier’s article titled 'Software, Patents & Open Source - Component-Based Software, Patents & Open Source: A Guide Through... -
Disney versus comic heroes
11/10/2012Who owns Spider Man and the other Marvel comic book characters? That question is at the heart of a $5.5 billion copyright infringement lawsuit... -
Happy birthday barcode patent!
11/10/2012Sunday, 7 October it was the 60th anniversary of the barcode patent, filed in the US in 1952. However the distinctive black-and-white stripes... -
Chinese Hermes counterfeiter sentenced to life
11/10/2012In a recent case in China, a luxury goods counterfeiter was sentenced to life and his gang members were ordered substantial fines based on the... -
Piracy trial
11/10/2012A landmark case in the US will test whether internet piracy claims made by copyright firms will stand up in court. Such cases rely on... -
Proposal for shorter .UK domain name
2/10/2012Nominet, a not-for-profit organization, is launching a consultation on the potential introduction of a new service, which if approved would... -
New anti-piracy law in Japan
1/10/2012New anti-piracy laws have come into effect in Japan, as of October 1, meaning that you will no longer be able to illegally download without... -
Switch off counterfeit telephones
28/09/2012Kenya has confirmed that a switch-off of counterfeit mobile phones will take place at the end of the month. In addition, networks will be... -
Apple keeps battling
26/09/2012It remains an interesting case: the ongoing battle from Apple with its rivals. A German court has for example dismissed Apple's allegation... -
US court reimposes music piracy fine
17/09/2012A US court has reimposed a $220,000 (€ 170,000) fine on a woman accused of sharing music over the internet. The case dates back to 2005,... -
The Pinterest love triangle
14/09/2012Pinterest.com is the newest visual social networking website on the block; seen by some as the next Facebook. But, for many brand... -
Patent on 3D gaming
14/09/2012Microsoft has applied for a patent on technology that aims to redefine immersive gaming. Originally filed in March of 2011 and discovered this... -
Copyright harmonization in the EU?!
13/09/2012Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, has given some insight on her view on the... -
The devil wears Louboutin… or YSL?
10/09/2012Christian Louboutin has emerged victorious in its battle against Yves Saint Laurent (YSL): a New York federal court of appeals has granted... -
Co-founder Pirate Bay arrested
3/09/2012A founder of the Pirate Bay filesharing website has been arrested in Cambodia at the request of Swedish police. Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, 27,... -
German publishers in copyright battle with Google
31/08/2012While the traditional press is relatively buoyant in Germany, some of Germany's biggest publishing firms are now pushing for a "neighboring... -
Merging trademarks: rule changes at the UK IPO
31/08/2012The UK IPO is amending the procedure and requirements for merging trademarks in the UK. Novagraaf’s Helene Whelbourn outlines the changes... -
IP Holders join project in fighting neglected diseases
30/08/2012One of the world’s great global health challenges is to overcome the impact of neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis. IP... -
Bitter loss Samsung in patent case
28/08/2012A US court has ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05bn (€840 million) in damages for infringing intellectual property rights. The jury decided... -
EPO and SIPO implement priority exchange agreement
23/08/2012The European Patent Office (EPO) and the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) are introducing an automatic exchange policy for... -
Motorola files patent infringement claim against Apple
21/08/2012Apple has been hit with another patent infringement claim. Google’s Motorola Mobility unit said it filed a new case against Apple claiming... -
Google’s anti-piracy search
20/08/2012Google is changing the way it calculates search results in an effort to make sure legal download websites appear higher than pirate sites. But... -
Cultural conflicts with new gTLD domain names
20/08/2012The Saudi Arabian government is objecting to a number of proposed new Internet address endings, including .gay, .bar, .baby and .islam. The... -
Gucci versus Gucci
17/08/2012World-famous Italian brand Gucci has won a case against siblings Guccio Gucci and Alessandro Gucci, two of the great-grandsons of its founder,... -
Google sued over digitalization of books
7/08/2012Authors suing Google over the digitization of their books have asked a New York court to order the Internet company to pay $750 for each book... -
Marvel sells unauthorised knock-off 'Avengers' attaché case
6/08/2012Rimowa, a German luxury travel-case maker, claims that the packaging for the forthcoming Blu-ray box set of the Marvel Entertainment hit movie... -
Biggest Samsung vs. Apple patent trial has started
3/08/2012On Monday July 30, Samsung and Apple headed to a court in California for the biggest patent trial so far. The tech firms have accused each... -
Brand owners prepare: new gTLDs are coming soon
30/07/2012In order to increase competition and choice in the generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) internet address system, ICANN opened up the process to new... -
Announcement public prize winner Brands in the Picture 2012
24/07/2012The public has spoken, the votes are counted. Of the five photos that were eligible for the public prize of photo contest Brands in the... -
Family Kate Middleton accused of Olympic copyright violation
24/07/2012Lawyers for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) will look at the website of the Middleton family business Party...
References
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IP Tools
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Novagraaf has a variety of specialist tools to help its clients to protect and manage their Intellectual Property (IP) rights. These instruments represent a means of exploring issues with respect to IP.
