General

The Eleventh Edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks under the Nice Agreement (Nice Classification) has been officially adopted in Oman, according to the Trademarks Office. The Nice Classification is a system of classifying goods and services for the purpose of registering trademarks. The system […]

On 2 January 2018, the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol) will come into force in Indonesia. Accession to the Madrid Protocol by Indonesia brings the number of Contracting Parties of the Madrid Protocol to 100. A list of the current members of the Madrid Union, with information on the dates

In an effort to improve the accuracy and integrity of the US trademark register, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently amended its rules to provide for the verification of declarations of use and cancellation of trademark registrations which do not reflect acceptable ‘use’ in commerce. Effective 17 February 2017, random audits will

There is no doubt India is committed to fostering innovation and attracting foreign investment, as demonstrated by recent government initiatives such as the ‘Make in India’ campaign. In harmony with this, policy makers are continually improving intellectual property rights for the benefit of creators by modernising India’s IP infrastructure, implementing greater use of modern technologies

Trademark rights to ‘Ben Fu’, the most widely recognised wine brand in China have been secured by their rightful owner, Treasury Wine Estate (“Penfolds” wine) (TWE) in the Beijing High People’s Court. The well-known trademark was previously registered in 2009 by notorious ‘trademark pirate’, Li Daozhi. China’s first-to-file system enabled Daozhi to obtain exclusive rights

As the cost of labour in China continues to rise, foreign manufacturing companies are being lured by cheaper production costs and increasingly favourable political and economic conditions in South East Asia. As a consequence, the Myanmar economy is ascending an incline of impressive growth. In an effort to sustain and facilitate further economic growth, the

On 6 October 2016, Brunei Darussalam acceded to the Madrid Protocol for the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol). The Madrid Protocol will enter into force with respect to Brunei on 6 January 2017. Accession to the Madrid Protocol by Brunei brings the number of Contracting Parties of the Madrid Protocol to 98. A list of

IP Australia is moving ahead with changes to the official fees for certain IP Rights. These changes are proposed to take effect from 10 October 2016 and the changes to Madrid import applications will take effect from 28 October 2016. Full details of the changes can be seen on IP Australia’s website.  As for trade marks, below

Thinking of optimising your search results with a competitor’s trademark? This new court decision means advertisers must tread carefully.  It’s a common practice used by businesses to optimise their search engine results with Google: Keywords are purchased through Google Adwords which may include names or trademarks owned by a competitor in order to piggyback their

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman are the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (“GCC”). The purpose of GCC is to achieve unity among its members and in May 2015, the GCC Trade Cooperation Committee issued the Implementing Regulations of the GCC Trade Mark Law. Roll out of the