European Trademark Law - KTH€¦ · European Trademark Law Assoc. Prof. Sanna Wolk 16 Sanctions...

European Trademark Law

Assoc. Prof. Sanna Wolk 1

European Trademark Law Assoc. Prof. Sanna Wolk Faculty of Law at Uppsala University

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2 Sanna Wolk

Why trademark protection?

•  Strategic tool –  Is your trademark unique?

•  Before applying, you should find out if your trademark is unique and check it does not infringe someone else's trademark

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The trademark structure

•  The functions of a trademark –  identification –  guarantees consistent quality –  communication

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Why trademark protection?

•  The difference between a trademark and other IPRs –  Copyright –  Patents –  Designs

•  Cumulative protection or overlapping protection

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•  The legal framework –  International registration –  EU legislation –  National laws

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•  The international framework –  The “Madrid System”

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•  EU regional framework –  Trademark directive –  Trademark regulation

•  Community trademark (regulation)

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•  National trademark protection

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•  What is a trademark? –  A sign which serves to distinguish

the goods and services of one organisation from those of another

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•  Could be –  Word marks –  Two-dimensional figurative mark –  Combination of word and figurative

components –  Three-dimensional marks –  Sounds –  Colour marks

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•  Marks on the market –  Word marks: 70-80 % –  Figurative marks : ~ 25 % –  Non-conventional marks: ~ 5 %

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•  Registered trademarks –  National, EU, international

registrations

•  Non-registered trademarks –  Recognition by the relevant

consumers

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•  Trademark registration –  Can be represented graphically –  No grounds for refusal

•  Absolute •  Relative

–  Classifying goods and services •  Famous and well known marks

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•  Absolute grounds for refusal, if the sign: –  Cannot be represented graphically –  Lacks of distinctiveness –  Consist exclusively of signs or

indications which are descriptive –  Generic –  Contrary to public policy or morality –  Contains specially protected emblems –  three-dimensional trade marks, not

technical shapes –  Applied in bad faith

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•  Relative grounds for refusal, if the sign: –  Identical –  Similar

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Grounds for refusal

•  Cannot be represented graphically

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Represented graphically

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Represented graphically http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVCxJ1aT24A

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Grounds for refusal

•  Lacks of distinctiveness

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Distinctive character?

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Grounds for refusal

•  Descriptive

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Grounds for refusal

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Descriptive?

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BOTOX v. BOTOLIST and BOTOCYL

Grounds for refusal

•  Contrary to public policy or morality

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Moral principles?

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Moral principles?

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Grounds for refusal

•  Contains specially protected emblems

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Protected emblem

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Grounds for refusal

•  Technical shapes

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Technical shape

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Grounds for refusal

•  Applied in bad faith

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ENCO Bad faith

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Grounds for refusal

•  Identical or/and similar –  Famous and well known marks

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Identical or similar?

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Identical or similar?

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•  What does trademark protection afford the rightholder? –  Exclusive right

•  Labelling •  Offering •  Supplying •  Stocking •  Importing and exporting •  Advertising

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Exemptions and limitations

•  Limited (legal) limitations –  Private use or non-commercial use –  Own name or address –  Indications concerning quality,

quantity, value, geographical origin –  Where it is necessary to indicate the

intended purpose of a product or service

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Non-commercial use

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Consumption

•  On the market –  Consumption –  Parallel imports

•  Repacking (pharmaceutical products)

•  EU/EEA (European Economic Area) exhaustion

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Consumption

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•  What is the term of protection? –  Registered trademarks

•  10 years •  Renewal

–  Actual use (5 years) –  Generic marks

–  Non-registered trademarks •  Recognised

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Generic

Gramophone

Escalator

Dynamit

Vespa?

Thermos

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Sanctions

•  Injunction •  Border measures •  Damages •  Destruction (of the infringing

goods) •  Publication of court decisions •  Penal sanctions

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Online issues

•  Domain names •  Metatags •  AdWords •  Online market places

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Online issues

•  Domain names

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Online issues

•  Metatags

HTML <meta> Tag

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Online issues

•  AdWords

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Online issues

•  Online market places

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Thank you! Sanna Wolk Assoc. Professor, Dr Jur. Uppsala University Academy of Intellectual Property and Competition Law Faculty of Law Box 512 SE-751 20 Uppsala Sweden Phone: + 46 709 62 62 82 Email: [email protected] Web: www.wolk.se

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European Trademark Law - KTH€¦ · European Trademark Law Assoc. Prof. Sanna Wolk 16 Sanctions...

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