Trademarks & Domain Names

A brand’s use of colour can be a strong identifying element, but registering colours as trademarks remains a challenge. Léa Chenain offers some advice.

Novagraaf’s Chantal Koller on how businesses can adapt their trademark registration strategies to make best use of the opportunities offered by the EU trademark system.

Global trademark management can be complicated and that's why we created our EasyIP IP management portal. In this 15-minute webinar, we cover how Novagraaf can help you to drive efficiencies and save significant costs using our trademark tools and services.

In its approval of the judgement in Les Grands Chais de France SAS v Consorzio di Tutela della DOC Prosecco, the High Court of England and Wales reminds brand owners that just because a name may resonate well with consumers, it doesn’t mean they should choose it.

The General Court of the EU has annulled an earlier ruling that found Louis Vuitton’s ‘Damier Azur’ trademark pattern to be invalid. But, the Court did not yet answer the all-important question of whether the luxury brand's pattern had acquired distinctive character through use.

Businesses that manufacture and export their branded products out of China are advised to protect their trademarks in the country following a recent ruling by the Chinese Supreme Court.

In 2018, the General Court of the EU ruled that ‘Perfect Bar' was too descriptive and thus insufficiently distinctive to be registered as a trademark, but the brand owner wouldn’t take no for an answer, as Frouke Hekker explains.

​​​​​​​The US Supreme Court has agreed with the holiday booking site’s argument that its Booking.com brand name is not a generic term.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges to companies and their legal advisers, including that of obtaining the necessary signatures for the execution of documents. In response, the Law Commission has issue an updated guidance note.

​​​​​​​We often see opportunistic trademark applications during significant world events, but the Black Lives Matter movement has also thrown a light on racist and racially insensitive branding forcing real change.

As a general rule, businesses cannot register generic terms as trademarks when they are directly related to the goods or services being offered. What does that mean for domain names, such as Booking.com?

​​​​​​​This year's World Gin Day falls on Saturday 13 June with virtual events planned around the world. Vanessa Harrow explores the IP that accompanies our favourite tipple.