IPTango

Monday, 11 August 2014

A sport celebrity - image rights

Patricia Covarrubia August 11, 2014 No comments:

James Rodríguez lanza ‘El 10 Gold’ su primer producto como ...

Colombia Reports some news about its football star James Rodriguez. The golden boot winner of the 2014 World Cup is launching its own product ‘Gold 10’, an energy drink. The drink is made with ‘guarana, taurine and caffeine’ and part of the profits will be given to support the foundation ‘Colombia somos todos’ founded by James Rodríguez.

The newspaper EL Pais published an article with the highlight ‘What James Rodriguez trademark is worth’. This is continued by an assertion that the football player is not just an idol but his name is a 'brand' in advertising. It elaborates by stating that apart from the millionaire Real Madrid’s contract, he will add another 8.5 million euros profit due to its image. His image is used already in 8 brands e.g. Adidas, shampoo (Clear), deodorant (Rexona), beverages (Pony Malta and Milo) and breads (Bimbo) and now its own product ‘Gold 10’.

James Rodrigues, Penerus Carlos Valderama - ENCIETY NEWS

Also the Colombian newspaper La Republica noted the value of the football player James Rodriguez. It notes that by using players’ names it is a high impact strategy in consumer market. It gives examples of reasons why an image sells: “inspires health, discipline, confidence, success, love and… it tends to be followed”.

Brazilian wines: get to know them.

Patricia Covarrubia August 06, 2014 No comments:

In Brazil we see a new application for a Geographical Indication(GI) for wines. The ‘Associação Farroupilhense de Produtores de Vinhos, Espumantes, Sucos e Derivados’ (Afavin) filed the application at the headquarters of INPI in Porto Alegre. The GI is for ‘Farroupilha’ wines and is to be an Indicação de Procedência (Indication of Source/origin).

Farroupilha is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil with a total area of 359.3 km² and approx. 70,345 residents. The formal request contained a detailed dossier with the geographical delimitation, characterization of viticulture (vineyards and wineries), production processes, the chemical and sensory characteristic quality of the wines, including the historical recognition of the region as producer of muscat wine.

According to the technical coordinator of the project, the major difference of this GI is the area where the traditional muscat grape is produced - region of Serra Gaucha. It all started in 2005 by creating Afavin. Subsequently, other initiatives developed and a turning point came in 2009 with the approval of the project to be developed as GI under the coordination of diverse organizations and institutions such as Embrapa Uva e Vinho; Embrapa Clima Temperado; Universidade de Caxias do Sul; Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; and support from Prefeitura Municipal de Farroupilha.

There are already 4 GIs for wines in Brazil: Vale dos Vinhedos as Indicação de Procedência in 2002 and Denomination of Origin in 2012; Pinto Bandeira as Indicação de Procedência in 2010; Altos Montes as Indicação de Procedência in 2013; and also last year Monte Belo as Indicação de Procedência. Al of these have been published here in this blog.

Ejecutivo de Chile aspira unificar el sistema de Propiedad Intelectual

Rodrigo Ramirez Herrera @ramahr August 05, 2014 No comments:

En el marco del panel inaugural de las VII Jornadas de Propiedad Intelectual organizadas por la Asociación Chilena de Propiedad Intelectual (Achipi), la Subsecretaria de Economía, Katia Trusich, planteó los principales desafíos de esta industria que se encuentra en un año clave en materia de regulación.

La Subsecretaria comentó que desde el Ministerio de Economía se está impulsando un proyecto de ley sobre Propiedad Industrial que se encuentra en la comisión de Economía del Senado y que en las próximas semanas debiese retomar su discusión.

Precisó que “este proyecto de ley busca profundizar en la relación de la propiedad intelectual con las distintas políticas públicas, e incluso los reglamentos sobre etiquetados de alimentos y video juegos están siendo desarrollados teniendo a la vista estos desafíos”.

Además instó a los asistentes a ver la propiedad intelectual como un sistema que va más allá del registro de marcas o las solicitudes de patentes: “Incluye marcas, patentes pero también derecho de autor y variedades vegetales y desde el Ministerio de Economía ya estamos trabajando en lograr una mejor coordinación y estructura, e idealmente, la unificación del sistema”, aseveró.

En el panel inaugural también participaron el Director de Inapi, Maximiliano Santa Cruz y el Presidente de Achipi, Cristóbal Porzio.

Fuente: Ministerio de Economía

Patagonia's products to receive a boost

Patricia Covarrubia August 05, 2014 No comments:

The Chilean National Institute of Intellectual Property (INAPI) received an application for registration of the certification mark "Calidad Aysén- Patagonia - Chile".

The mark was developed by the regional government of Aysén supported by the Ministry of Agriculture. The scheme is “the result of a research, identification and survey of common practices and standards that seek to encourage the identification of certain attributes present in the originating Aysén region.” The Agriculture Minister said "it is important to add value to our products and this is a great opportunity. Patagonia is a globally recognized mark and we must seize this attractive local product to enhance an area that is far away for the rest of world, but year after year increases the amount of visitors ".

INAPI’s director added that it is pleasant to see how “ regions are organizing to promote their products through the use of tools such as certification marks”.Products seeking to be enhanced by this certification mark are cattle, sheep, vegetables and cherries.

Source INAPI.

Colombia's coffee: well-known indeed

Patricia Covarrubia August 04, 2014 No comments:

From Colombia we heard that a court declared 'Juan Valdez' and its logo as a well- known mark.

The court’s decision was handed down in an infringement of industrial property rights brought by Cafeteros de Colombia vs. Bamboo & Cafe Ltds. The delegation for the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC), by judicial judgement held that the use of the words 'Juvenal Valdez' by the business Bamboo & Cafe Ltd in Bogota, infringed the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia’s trade mark i.e. 'Juan Valdez'. The shop was selling coffee based beverages. By the same token, SIC recognized the famous brand and its logo as notorious mark.

Source www.cablenoticias.tv

In support of the application, the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia submitted and attested the ownership of different marks regarding 'Juan Valdez' and its traditional logo (mixed and figurative marks), which are all duly protected by the respective trade mark titles granted by the Superintendency of Industry and Trade.

SIC considered that the use of ‘Juvenal Valdez’ could generate likelihood of confusion between such establishment and Juan Valdez' shops; not only by the grammatical similarity between the names, but also because the similar font used by the defendant. Consequently, SIC ordered Bamboo & Cafe Ltda to refrain from identifying its products and services with the said terms. It noted that the restriction extends to the use of the term in all kinds of advertising, stationery and any other use that could be put to for the development of its business.

Source SIC.

México: Nuevas medidas para evitar Importación de Piratería

Gilberto Macias (@gmaciasb) July 29, 2014 No comments:

A partir del 25 de julio de 2014, todos los importadores que ingresen mercancía a México deberán indicar si los productos ostentan alguna marca registrada y si se tienen los derechos de marca o si están autorizados a su uso.

Esta nueva medida se exige desde la entrada en vigor de la Décima Segunda Resolución de Modificaciones a las Reglas de Carácter General en Materia de Comercio Exterior para 2013, con la que se incorporan cambios a los formatos de pedimento de importaciones.

Estas modificaciones, según expertos en propiedad intelectual, ayudarán tanto a las autoridades aduaneras a identificar de forma eficiente mercancía legal y, de esta forma, optimizar su despacho, así como también servirá de barrera para quienes pretendan importar mercancías falsificadas.

Con estas nuevas reglas será más fácil para la autoridad aduanera identificar aquellas mercancías que puedan estar violando derechos de propiedad industrial, concretamente marcas registradas, y contribuirá a tener una correcta identificación de mercancías.

No obstante, si bien, las reglas recientemente reformadas facilitan únicamente la detección de mercancías infractoras, todavía se necesitará la actuación de la autoridad competente, ya sea el IMPI o la PGR, previa denuncia o solicitud del titular o representante de la marca afectada, lo que aún dificulta el proceso de combate a la importación de mercancías.

El texto completo de las modificaciones puede consultarse aquí.

Anteproyecto de ley de proteción de tratamiento datos de Chile

Rodrigo Ramirez Herrera @ramahr July 29, 2014 No comments:

El Ministerio de Economía de Chile elaboró una propuesta de ley con el fin de avanzar en la legislación de datos para cumplir con los estándares internacionales y así contribuir a un mejor desarrollo de las actividades económicas. El proyecto legislativo contiene un nuevo enfoque que va desde la regulación de un mercado de datos personales a la protección de las personas

Para elaborar el anteproyecto de ley se consideró la legislación internacional, en especial la Resolución de Madrid, las Directrices de la Unión Europea y la OCDE y la experiencia de países como México, Costa Rica y Uruguay.

La iniciativa legal del Ejecutivo chileno, junto con fijar las condiciones para el tratamiento de datos, establece un sistema de derechos para las personas y crea mecanismos efectivos para hacerlos valer. Además crea una Autoridad de Protección de Datos, así como un régimen de sanciones para quienes no respetan la normativa.

La iniciativa estará durante tres semanas en consulta ciudadana en la web del Ministerio de Economía. La consulta y el proyecto se encuentran disponibles aquí.

Fuente: Diego Ponce (@Diego_Ponce)

Case pending appeal could mark U-turn regarding representation Bolivia

Jeremy July 28, 2014 No comments:

A recent decision of the Bolivian Patent and Trade Mark Office (Decision 165951), in first-instance opposition proceedings between the marks SMART FIT and SMART FIT, has caused something of a stir. In short, an application to register the word mark SMART FIT was opposed by the owner of an earlier SMART FIT registration. This opposition was rejected since the power of attorney given to the opponent's local agent had been issued after the opposition was filed: accordingly, the opponent had acted without representation.

The basis for this decision, characterised as a "failure to understand the spirit of the law, as well as the doctrine of representation, the nature of IP activities and past precedents" may be found in Article 67 of Bylaw 27113:

“Any person being represented that makes a request to the government ought to file the power of attorney with the request”.

This clearly signifies that representation needs to be shown before the process is concluded, as Article 13 of Law 2341 states that “… in order for all acts carried out by the representative to be good and valid, the appointee must show a power of attorney before a resolution is passed”. However, the law does not require that acts carried out without the existence of a power of attorney cannot be subsequently held valid.

This decision is currently under appeal a the second opposition, in which the same issue is at stake, is awaiting resolution.

Source: "Case pending appeal could mark U-turn regarding representation Bolivia" written by Juan Ignacio Zapata (Bolet & Terrero, La Paz) for World Trademark Review, 20 June 2014, from which further information and commentary can be found.

Infringement, not consumer deceit, is the key to criminal prosecuition, says Argentine court

Jeremy July 25, 2014 No comments:

Matos Berna, Beatriz Noelia s/ Recurso de casación, Docket No. 361/2013, is a ruling of 26 February 2014 from the Argentine Federal Criminal Court of Cassation involved an action brought by the public prosecutor against Beatriz Matos Berna, who was accused of selling counterfeit trade marked products on the street.

The trial court acquitted the defendant on charges of sale of counterfeit trade marked goods under Law No. 22,362, Section 31(d), following earlier decisions to the effect that the circumstances of the case (in this instance the street sale of ostensibly counterfeit products in small quantities) excluded the possibility of consumer deceit, posed no harm to the trade mark holder and did not therefore constitute a criminal offence. After the prosecutor's appeal to the Federal Court of Appeals failed, the prosecutor appealed further to the Federal Criminal Court of Cassation, arguing that consumer deceit was not a requisite element of the crime in question. Division IV of Federal Criminal Court of Cassation agreed in its majority decision and reversed the lower courts’ rulings, ordering that the criminal proceedings continue.

Said the majority, the risk of consumer confusion is not a requisite for a successful prosecution on charges of criminal trade mark counterfeiting -- but the violation of the trade mark owner’s exclusive rights over the mark is.

Source: "Consumer Deceit Is Not Required to Prosecute Counterfeiting at Criminal Courts", by Martín Chajchir (Marval, O’Farrell & Mairal, Buenos Aires), pubnlished in the INTA Bulletin July 1, 2014 Vol. 69 No. 12

A sign of the times -- or assign of the times? Venezuela at last allows recordal of deals with applications

Jeremy July 23, 2014 1 comment:

Following the withdrawal of Venezuela from the Andean Community, its Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) decided to revert to that country's Industrial Property Law of 1955. Since no regulations were promulgated under that law for the assignment of pending trade mark and patent applications, it transpired that their assignment was no longer admissible. Accordingly, until a trade mark or patent is actually granted and recorded on the register, there is no property right but only a petition to grant a property right -- and only property rights (ie registered patents and trade marks) could be assigned.

On 31 March of this year the Venezuelan Autonomous Intellectual Property Service (SAPI) published a notice indicating that, owing to business dynamics, and the fact that IP rights are property of a private nature, the applicant for a patent or trade mark registration has a priority right. Thus, since 9 April 2014 (when that notice became effective) , SAPI has allowed the recordal of assignments or any other changes of ownership (merger or change of names) against pending applications.

Source: "Trademark Office Now Accepts Assignment of Pending Applications", by Richard N. Brown (De Sola Pate & Brown Abogados--Consultores, Caracas), published in the INTA Bulletin, 1 July 2014 Vol. 69 No. 12, which contains further details and welcomes this change.

Some IPTango moves

* Listed as one of the "Best blogs on Intellectual and Industrial Property Law". The University of Alicante Intellectual Property & Information Technology Project (UAIPIT).

* One of the only two Latin American blog listed in the "Top 100 Intellectual Property Blogs". Feedspot, as of May 2021.

* Listed as one of the "Top 15 Blogs For An Intellectual Property (IP) Enthusiasts". Buzzfeed.com, January 2017.

* Listed as one of the "World's Best IP Blogs". BananaIP.com, December 2015.

* IPTango founder Professor Jeremy Phillips was listed as one of the Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "Fifty Most Influential People" of 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

* Listed as one of the "Influential intellectual property blawgs". A Dictionary of Intellectual Property Law, Peter Groves, 2011.

* Listed as one of the "Communities of Blawgers". Los blogs jurídicos y la web 2.0. para la difusión y la enseñanza del derecho, Gonzalo Ramírez Cleves, 2010.