Eu Trade Mark Law And Product Protection

"This book employs scholarly analysis to ground practical tools for applying the EU Trade Mark law (EUTM) functionality refusal grounds to address business needs when registering trade marks consisting of product characteristics. The study comprehensively examines the absolute grounds for a refusal of registration of functional signs under EUTM. It interprets the functionality refusal grounds through objective tests, focusing on the pro-competition rationale of denying trade mark exclusivity on product features that are technically or aesthetically important for competitors' ability to trade in alternative products. The work takes a comparative approach looking at the US trade dress functionality doctrine, and a law and economics perspective on the role of trade marks and brands in the marketplace. It explores how competition rules related to market definition and the substitutability of products, as well as marketing and design findings related to branding and aesthetics, could be integrated into the legal assessment of EUTM functionality. The volume will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the areas of Intellectual Property Law, Trade Mark and Design Law, EU Law, Comparative Law, and Branding"--

When a mark acquires a reputation, it becomes a means of attracting consumers by communicating to them various messages going beyond the indication of commercial origin of goods or services. Thus, trade marks familiar to the general public enjoy a special legal protection regime above and beyond that afforded trade marks in general, allowing them to benefit from enhanced protection against reproduction or imitation detrimental to, or taking unfair advantage of, the distinctive character of the mark or its repute. This richly researched book, the first comprehensive guide to current European Union (EU) law and practice concerned with reputed trade marks, conducts an in-depth analysis of this extended protection provided by Regulation 2017/1001 on EU trade marks and Directive 2015/2436 under which it is mandatory across all Member States. Using a practical approach, focused on identifying and analysing the criteria for infringement of trade marks with a reputation in proceedings before civil courts and in administrative proceedings before the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) or national trade mark offices, the author addresses such elements of the special protection regime as the following: prerequisites for infringement of the right to a reputed mark common to all recognised forms of infringement; how to demonstrate each type of infringement of the right to the trade mark with a reputation (blurring, tarnishment and unfair advantage); proof of reputation; distinguishing the concept of well-known trade mark; legitimate versus questionable justifications of the ‘due cause’ exception within the meaning of EU law provisions; use of a disputed sign falling under freedom of expression; identifying the role of likelihood of confusion under the special regime; and how to prove the existence of a link between the signs in dispute. The author pays detailed attention to the case law of the Court of Justice and General Court of the EU, as well as cases before the EUIPO and national courts. He takes into account research from a number of Member States (plus Switzerland), thus widening prior work in the field from its predominant English-language context. With this book practitioners will confidently approach cases before courts, the EUIPO and national EU trade mark offices involving enhanced protection of trade marks with a reputation. In addition, the book will help judges and trade mark offices examiners to interpret the EU provisions and assess claims regarding such reinforced protection. For scholars and students of intellectual property law, this book will prove a cornerstone volume in the field.

This book addresses the issue of trademark use that may be required for the protection and/or maintenance of trademark rights. Since the first edition of this book in 2018, there have been significant modifications in some countries, particularly, following the implementation of EU Directive 2015/2436 in the EU countries. Laws around the world do not attach the same consequence to the lack of use of a trademark, and courts do not always assess in the same way whether a trademark is genuinely used. This is a fundamental issue for trademark owners since, depending on the jurisdiction, lack of genuine use can lead to the refusal of trademark registration, the revocation of trademark rights, or prevent the owner of a non-used trademark from initiating an action based on its trademark. This detailed analysis provides clarity, insight, and guidance on the legal issues and practical implications of genuine use of trademarks in twenty-six jurisdictions worldwide. This book was developed within the framework of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), a non-affiliated, non-profit organization dedicated to improving and promoting the protection of intellectual property at both national and international levels. This topic was the subject of an AIPPI study, and its subsequent Resolution – The Requirements of Genuine Use of Trademarks for Maintaining Protection (2011, Hyderabad) – which aims to harmonize this issue of genuine use of trademarks. The authors of the chapters for each jurisdiction were carefully selected based on their extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of trademark protection in their respective jurisdictions. Each chapter considers issues and topics such as the following: types of use that qualify as genuine use of a trademark, including requirements as to whether uses are consistent with the function of the trademark or made in the course of trade; requirements as to the volume, duration, and frequency of use; impact of the trademark’s designation of goods and services; issues relating to the sign used, particularly, if it is used in a different form from the registered trademark (this includes consideration of alteration of the distinctive character, or the potential impact of a plurality of registered trademarks for different signs, or the question of use in black and white or in colour); proof to be provided to evidence genuine use as a trademark, including issues of timing and territory; situations in which the issue of genuine use can be of importance; valid reasons for non-use; consequences of lack of use depending on the context, including possible revocation of trademark rights; and case law examples. As a comparative law study and a collection of contributions from around the world on a key issue of trademark law, this book is of tremendous practical interest. Trademark owners, parties involved in or contemplating enforcement proceedings, and interested legal practitioners will benefit greatly from its thorough comparative analysis and guidance. It is also exceptionally valuable as a comprehensive resource for academics and researchers interested in the international harmonization of trademark law.

European Trade Mark Law provides a coherent and authoritative commentary on both the substantive and procedural aspects of European trade mark law. It presents an integrated picture of the two major trade mark law provisions at EU level: the Community Trade Mark Regulation (CMTR), which provides for the registration and protection of a Europe-wide mark; and the Trade Mark Directive (TMD), which aims to harmonise national trade mark laws. The book's core focus is the Community texts and case law, and it offers a detailed analysis of the CMTD and TMD, as well as practical discussion of the procedure for registering, maintaining, and challenging a trade mark through the European Trade Mark Office and at the national level. It considers how national laws have been successfully harmonised by the TMD, and where they differ significantly from others in their implementation of the Directive. Written by one of the leading trade mark lawyers in Europe, this is an invaluable reference for both academics and practitioners in this complex and rapidly developing area of law.

European Trademark Law describes all relevant developments in both legislation and case law, in particular of the Court of Justice, offering not only a succinct introduction to the theory, structure and nature of trademark law, but also insightful suggestions for resolving and answering a host of practical problems. As the authors note, their book provides an 'overview of trademark law rather than an overview of trademark legislation.' The authors view the law from different perspectives; they take both the European perspective and the perspective from harmonised national trademark law, in particular as it is in the Benelux countries. Paying particular attention to the implications of the considerable stream of case law that has followed from partially new doctrines set in place by the harmonization process, the book greatly clarifies the workings and interrelations of such factors as the following: situations that did not constitute infringement under former trademark law but do constitute infringement today and vice versa; different types of marks and their particularities; registration and opposition procedures; relevant international treaties; requirements for the mark; grounds for refusal and invalidity; scope of and limitations to trademark protection; use of trademarks in comparative advertising; referential use of trademarks; use of trademarks on the internet; exhaustion of rights, parallel trade; concepts of well known trademarks and trademarks with a reputation; procedural aspects of enforcing trademark rights; how trademark rights are lost.The analysis also covers specific aspects of the trademark right that are related to other legal areas, such as property law, trade name law, the law regarding geographical indications of origin, copyright law, competition law, and product liability. An especially valuable part of the book's presentation follows the 'life' of a trademark from filing the application up to and including its cancellation, revocation or invalidity.

Trade mark law practitioners agree that Ulrich Hildebrandt’s Trade Mark Law in Europe hugely enhances their work. This fourth edition follows the same well-known, intensely practical, time-saving format, with each provision of current law (Directive 2015/2436) reproduced in its original English wording and annotated with relevant passages from all relevant decisions of the European Court of Justice, as well as relevant provisions of the Community Trade Mark Regulation and the national trade mark acts of all Member States implementing the Directive. The author’s expert commentary on each provision expressly marks major changes to previous versions of the Directive, highlights when case law concerning a previous version remains relevant and translates passages that lack an official English text. Among the fundamental questions addressed are the following: When is it possible to register a geographical indication as a trademark? Are colours and sounds capable of registration? When may the reputation of a mark be invoked to protect it? How mundane could a sign be and still claim to be distinctive? When can it be said that there has been no genuine use of a trade mark? Where does the Court’s function theory influence the trademark law? Given a topic or keyword, appendices assist in the quick finding of any provision of the Directive and relevant case law. There is no other resource presenting the original wording of ECJ case law, broken down by specific points of law and directly related on an article-by-article basis to EU and Member State trade mark legislation. As a highly organized presentation of key information, this is an ideal initial tool that makes any research into European trade mark law fast and easy, whether for academic purposes or actual legal practice. Lawyers, in-house counsel, judges, and academics will all welcome this new edition.

The sweeping changes brought about in 2017 to practice and procedures in European Union trade mark law have precipitated a new edition of this much relied-upon guide to the field. This is the first book to provide comprehensive guidance to the new EU Trade Mark Regulation, including full details on all aspects of substance and procedure, as well as to the new Trade Mark Directive. This new and significantly expanded edition, which builds on the two previous editions of the Concise European Trade Mark and Design Law, includes the full texts of the new Implementing and Delegated Acts – available in no other book – as well as a collection of other texts that are needed in daily practice, such as excerpts from the Rules of Procedure of the General Court, the Paris Convention, the Madrid Protocol and the Nice Agreement, the Nice Classification, the TRIPS Agreement and the Directive on Enforcement of IP Rights. Providing a complete commentary and a full set of the legal provisions that must be dealt with on a daily basis, obviating recourse to other sources, this new edition will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in the law and practice of trade marks in the European Union.

In light of the ever-growing and developing jurisprudence of the Court of Justice and the General Court, and forthcoming substantive and systemic changes to the law, there is a need for a fresh and practical approach to the procedure and case law of trade marks in Europe. Trade Marks in Europe is a comprehensive guide to European trade mark law following the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the case law of the General Court. It provides a wide-ranging overview of the trade mark system, including detailed and critical discussion of forthcoming changes, as well as an in-depth look at the life of a trade mark up to enforcement. It considers the conditions for maintaining a registration, the protection and enforcement of trade marks, and the interface between trade mark law and other areas of practice. Finally, it offers detailed and insightful analysis of current developments, challenges, and opportunities. This is complemented by an international and comparative approach which selectively considers the contemporary jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of the United States and general US practice, as well as national jurisprudence in areas not yet covered by the CJEU. Written by highly-regarded authors with considerable expertise across a range of constituencies, Trade Marks in Europe is a timely and important study of this complex and challenging area of law.