Sector: Fashion & Luxury

Latest content

“Bargaining power is tilting in favour of Chinese licensees” as country’s appetite for top brands continues to grow

A feature in the current issue of <i>World Trademark Review</i> explores China’s trademark licensing landscape and charts its development over recent years. Traditionally, rights holders proved hesitant to exploit the potential of this huge market, which was long seen as fraught with risk and difficulty. But today, licensing into China is a lucrative industry – and Chinese licensees are far more sophisticated when it comes to doing deals.

10 June 2016

Study reveals the prevalence of fake luxury goods on Instagram, and the evolving tactics of counterfeiters

New research has found that 20% of Instagram posts about luxury fashion brands featured counterfeit or illicit products. The report calls for a comprehensive international strategy to fight the prevalence of fake goods online, but the usual roadblocks remain, meaning that the status quo will not change any time soon.

09 June 2016

Bombay High Court holds you cannot ‘LIVE IN Levi’s’

In a recent case, Federal Brands Ltd (FBL) filed a suit for infringement and passing off against Levi Strauss India Pvt Ltd (LSIPL) – the makers of Levi’s jeans. FBL’s primary grievance was LSIPL’s use of the mark LIVE IN in respect of jeans, apparel and clothing.

01 June 2016

Trademark suits down as research reveals most litigious companies (and the firms that represent them)

New data from Lex Machina has highlighted a fall in trademark litigation filings in the US, with case numbers in the first quarter of this year at a seven-year low. If this trend continues, it will ring alarm bells in law firms that rely on contentious work for their revenue streams.

27 May 2016

Alibaba enters trademark filing market, launches tool for brands to make applications

Chinese online retail giant Alibaba Group has launched a pair of IP-related initiatives, including a new policy for luxury sales that is timed to take effect on the day that Director General Jack Ma was due to deliver the keynote address at the IACC’s Spring Conference this week. The second will grab the attention of all IP law firms; the company appears to have taken the first steps towards becoming an IP service provider.

17 May 2016

Opposition to registration of SWISSBERNARD mark

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH has failed in its opposition to the registration of the SWISSBERNARD mark applied for on January 31 2012 by Ayoub in Class 14 for “horological and chronometric instruments” and published for opposition on July 20 2012.

16 May 2016

JUMPMAN prevails in a different type of court

Nike has won the latest round of a long-running dispute over its ability to register the sign JUMPMAN. The decision calls into question the value and wisdom of EU trademark protection for smaller businesses trading in only one member state.

13 May 2016

Unregistered handbag designs protected under ‘catch-all’ provision

The Seoul High Court has rendered a significant decision that further clarifies the meaning of the ‘catch-all’ provision of the Unfair Competition and Trade Secret Protection Prevention Act.

12 May 2016

No confusion between Polo Ralph Lauren and United States Polo Association

In <i>Polo/Lauren Company LP v United States Polo Association</i>, the Singapore High Court has upheld a decision of the Trademark Registry adjudicator who had refused an opposition by Polo Ralph Lauren against a trademark application by United States Polo Association.

06 May 2016

Could China’s economic woes lead to a counterfeiting time bomb?

As has been widely reported in recent months, the wheels appear to have fallen off of China’s economic juggernaut (or at least to have picked up a few punctures). As might be expected, the slowdown is leading to a tightening of consumer purse strings, particularly when it comes products and services sold in higher price brackets – including, notably, luxury goods. For brands, the concern will be that buyers now turn to fake alternatives.

29 April 2016

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