Battle of the teas : EU General Court finds Teaespresso and Tpresso confusingly similar (Novagraaf)

Author: Ardine Siepman (Novagraaf) Date of publication: 11/06/2018 The holder of the word and figurative mark ‘Tpresso’ sought to prevent the registration of the word mark ‘teaespresso’, on the grounds of likelihood of confusion. Both cover similar tea-related products. Ardine Siepman examines the recent EU General Court ruling. Likelihood of confusion is a key criteria when assessing…

Lees meer

Crocs killed its own design through public disclosure (NautaDutilh)

Authors: Tanguy de Haan, Anne Marie Verschuur and Vincent Wellens (NautaDutilh) Date of publication: 14/03/2018 The General Court of the EU confirmed the cancellation of the registration for the famous design of Crocs clogs on the ground that it was disclosed to the public more than twelve months preceding the priority date. The facts The predecessor to the…

Lees meer

Combination of descriptive terms eligible for trademark protection (Novagraaf)

Author: Frouke Hekker (Novagraaf) Date of publication: 31/10/2017 Trademark applications frequently fail due to lack of distinctiveness. However, it is possible to overcome this barrier to registration for marks combining descriptive and/or non-distinctive elements, if the sign as a whole creates an overall distinctive impression, as Novagraaf’s Frouke Hekker explains. The EUTM application for ‘SWEAT STOPPER’ provides…

Lees meer

Europese Merkenrecht hervormingen: Wat verandert er vanaf 1 oktober 2017 (Sirius Legal)

Auteur: Thaïssa Nuyens (Sirius Legal) Publicatiedatum: 29/09/2017  Op 15 december 2015 stemde het Europees Parlement in met belangrijke hervormingen met betrekking tot het Europees merkenrecht, wat zorgde voor enkele serieuze wijzigingen. De hervormingen hebben als doel het merkenrecht binnen de EU effectiever, efficiënter, rechtszekerder en consistenter te maken.  Het pakket aan hervormingen kreeg als werknaam “trademark Reform…

Lees meer