IPTango

Tuesday, 1 February 2011

A cheese solution: is this healthy for a FTA?

Patricia Covarrubia February 01, 2011 2 comments:

From Marques Class 46 blog I read that the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano has submitted in Colombia an application for recognition of its Parmigiano Reggiano as an Appelation of Origin (AO).

Colombia being part of the Andean Community of Nation (formed by Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) operates a customs union similar to the EU and it boasts a common IP regime governed by Decision 486. Geographical Indication is found under Title XII and AO definition under Art 201, regulating though this subject.

Under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed between the EU and Colombia and Peru, Parmiggiano Reggiano appears on the list (more than 200 products are listed – only 4 are from Colombia and Peru). Looking further the FTA, under title VII named Geographical Indications (GI), clarifies that GI of a Party to be protected by the other Party, shall only be subject to this Title if they are recognised and declared as such in the country of origin. This implies that the parties each accept that the other party’s domestic examinations are also sufficient for their domestic market. As we may know Parmiggiano Reggiano not only enjoys protection in its own country but in the whole European Union (also in those Members States that are parties to the Lisbon Agreement since this GI has been registered under this regime).

That said, here comes my questioning: why is the Consorzio looking for this further protection? There is the issue that though the FTA has been signed, it has not entered into force as yet -- is this a sign? I feel that this cheese does not smell right.

Moreover, will the other 228 EU products apply for this recognition? Or is just this stinky cheese that wants to have another slice of protection?

National IP Institutes: United we stand.

Patricia Covarrubia January 31, 2011 No comments:

The Brazilian Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) informs that the national intellectual property of nine South American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay) will hold later this year, a pilot project for cooperation in patent examination.

This action is part of the project for regional cooperation on patents called Prosur. With joint efforts, the goal is to seek greater efficiency and quality of patent decisions.

According to the information the project will work as follows: “300 patent applications in the fields of biotechnology and mechanical engineering will be selected. The patent applications should have been presented in two or more countries (forming part of this project). Thus, examiners of the involved countries will exchange information regarding ‘search and examination’ relevant for the final decision.

In the future, the goal is to expand to other areas.

Is this true? The beer you drink says a lot about you

Patricia Covarrubia January 28, 2011 No comments:

A few months back I remember that our cousin blog the IPKat was running a competition: to provide the best explanation of the meaning of the new WIPO logo. At that time I thought of many trade marks –words, and logos, that do not say anything to us, or at least we do not know why the chosen word or logo. I guess this is a point of curiosity – however we must not forget that if the said mark is generic, customary and/or descriptive it cannot be registered.

Today I was reading the newspaper and I read the launch of two new beers in Mexico, namely: ‘salamandra’ and ‘purple hand beer’. The article pleased my curiosity because it actually explains why the chosen words for the two beers.

The beers are designated to be sold in gay bars and contain a mixture of ale and organic honey. The report continues, ‘purple hand’ takes its name following a 1969 protest against a California newspaper, after several homophobic comments. Those responsible for the news threw purple paint against the demonstrators, who in seeking to oppose the attack got their hands full of ink and placed on the walls of the building. The purple hand is seen as a defence of the rights and freedom of expression of the community.

On the other hand, ‘Salamandra’ takes its name from the animal that has the ability to change colours. According to the news, these two new beers are seen as an alternative and so seeking to establish a bond because of the identity they have.
Well, I am sure that with this explanation the marks are then suggestive of the targeting market (no the product) and capable of being registered.

Info here and here.

Ecuador: IP Infringers sue public prosecutor... for prosecuting them

Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martinez January 26, 2011 No comments:

Yeah, right! Maybe the title is quite strange because of my limitations with English, but that's more or less what is happening in Ecuador in a recent case that Alfonso Rivera (Tobar y Bustamante) has brought to the attention of the IP Tango.

IEPI (Ecuador Institute of Intellectual Property) has seized more than 110.000 counterfeiting products in a recent raid, and some stores were closed. ASECOPAC (an Ecuatorian Association of sellers of Audiovisual products) has submitted a complaint against IEPI because they consider that the raids are in violation of the National Plan for Good Living (sorry I'm translating it literally) and of Art. 325 of the Ecuatorian Constitutions that guarantees everyone's right to work.
The case is certainly more complex. But at first sight it seems really curious that such a complaint has been filed.
Let's see what happens. I'm sure our colleagues in Ecuador will keep us informed about it.

Chile: Jurisprudencia en materia de nulidad de registro de marcas

Rodrigo Ramirez Herrera @ramahr January 26, 2011 No comments:

En el marco de un juicio especial sobre nulidad de la transferencia del registro de la marca Picasso, para servicios de las clases 35, 37 y 39 del nomenclátor de Niza, se dictó sentencia de rechazo de recurso de casación en el fondo interpuesto por la parte demandante de nulidad, Indivisión Picasso, compuesta por los dueños de los derechos de propiedad intelectual de la obra del pintor Pablo Picasso, señores Paloma Ruíz-Picasso, Maya Widmaier-Picasso, Marina Ruíz Picasso, Bernard Ruíz-Picasso y Claude Ruíz-Picasso, en contra de la sentencia de segunda instancia, dictada por el Tribunal de Propiedad Industrial, que revocó la decisión de primer grado que daba lugar a la pretensión de nulidad.

La doctrina de la Corte Suprema expresa que la factura de venta, emitida por el martillero público a nombre del adjudicatario de una marca comercial en pública subasta, es título suficiente para su anotación al margen del registro a favor del nuevo titular.

La especialidad de la ley N° 19.039 sobre propiedad industrial, que contiene el régimen de marcas chileno, no abarca las transferencias forzadas de los derechos de propiedad industrial y, en consecuencia, resultan plenamente aplicables las normas generales sobre enajenación obligada de especies sujetas a un proceso de quiebra (como es el caso) que, en la situación de los bienes incorporales de naturaleza mueble, como ocurre con las marcas comerciales, se rigen por la Ley de Quiebras, actualmente incorporada al Código de Comercio, cuyo artículo 122, dispone que: "Las especies corporales muebles se venderán al martillo y los valores mobiliarios que tengan cotización bursátil, en remate en bolsa de valores", cuyo símil procesal se encuentra en el artículo 482 del Código de Procedimiento Civil, respecto de los bienes muebles embargados.

Con el rechazo de la casación, el registro de marca Nº 601576 del Inapi (renovación del registro Nº 365512) quedó a firme a nombre del legítimo adjudicatario, cuyo nombre social contiene un apellido homónimo al signo distintivo.

ideas, tech, experience --how to tie them?

Patricia Covarrubia January 24, 2011 No comments:

The Superintendent of Industry and Commerce (SIC) signed an agreement with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. With this agreement, the SIC seeks to strengthen its industrial property system technology. It is believed that institutional coordination will promote cooperation between the parties and so exchange views and experiences to strengthen technical assistance, training, and best practices in the industrial property field.

To the Superintendent Jose Miguel de la Calle said that "this collaboration between friends, further strengthen SIC as the authority responsible for ensuring the rights of Colombians, both consumers and companies." He continues, "we will continue seeking alliances with the best in their jurisdiction to provide all Colombians a peace of mind having an authority that works for them."

For more info here

Colombia and Madrid: the final Act?

Jeremy January 21, 2011 No comments:

Dancing in the streets: jubilant Colombian trade mark
lawyers and their clients celebrate the Senate vote

The 15 January 2011 issue of the INTA Bulletin (Vol. 66 No. 2), which INTA members can now enjoy on INTA's handsomely refurbished website, reports some good news for brand owners in "Colombian Senate Approves Bill 061/2010, Moving Closer to Madrid Accession".

It seems that last month a plenary session of the Colombian Senate approved Bill 061/2010, which calls for accession to the Madrid Protocol. This is a reintroduced version of an earlier bill which received support from INTA members.

For background see IP Tango posts here, here, here and here.

Progress in Venezuelan trade marks

Jeremy January 21, 2011 No comments:

Richard Nicholas Brown (De Sola Pate & Brown, Caracas, Venezuela) has written to IP Tango with some fresh news from Venezuela. Says Richard:

"One of the problems with the Venezuelan trade mark system has been the fact that clients have had to wait for five or more years for a Registration Certificates after the application is granted and they have paid the registration fees. The reason has been that the 1955 IP Law requires in its Article 86 that the Registrar sign the registration certificate.

The newly appointed Registrar has published a notice in the Official Bulletin No. 515 of October 1, 2010 that henceforth all Certificates will be issued electronically on the Registry web page www.sapi.gob.ve. This is helpful but is of course illegal. Due to the highly formal nature of Venezuelan law it is suggested that the owners of Venezuelan trade marks request their local agents to take the electronic certificates to the Registrar for signature as is required by Article 86 of the law which reads “The certificate shall be issued in the models prescribed by the Industrial Property Registry Office; it shall be signed by the Registrar and it shall published in the bulletin of the office”".

Litigio marcario por habanos cubanos Cohiba en Europa

Rodrigo Ramirez Herrera @ramahr January 20, 2011 1 comment:

La Corporación cubana Habanos S.A. o Habanos S.A. (La Habana, Cuba), recurrió ante el Tribunal General de la Unión Europea (UE) para la anulación de la resolución que rechazó su oposición y otorgó el reconocimiento en el mercado europeo para la clase 34 del nomeclátor de la marca de tabaco Kiowa, solicitada el 30 de julio de 2004, por considerar que no existe riesgo de confusión con la marca de puros Cohiba, registrada anteriormente, según resolvió la 2° sala de recursos de la Oficina de Armonización del Mercado Interior (OAMI) el 31 de marzo de 2008.

La vista del recurso de anulación presentado el 9 de junio de 2008 por Corporación Habanos S.A. contra la OAMI de la UE y la compañía española Tabacos de Centroamérica, empresa comercializadora de los productos Kiowa, tuvo lugar el 18 de enero de 2011.

La Corporación Habanos impugnó la decisión por la que la OAMI reconoció la marca Kiowa para la venta en el mercado europeo de tabaco, cigarrillos, puritos y otros artículos para fumadores, según el informe para la vista.

La entidad cubana objetó que la OAMI desestimara el riesgo de confusión entre los signos en conflicto y que no tuviera en cuenta que la marca registrada Cohiba es renombrada. Expuso que los signos distintivos son idénticos desde el punto de vista fonético y en el diseño gráfico de las marcas, pues en el caso de Cohiba aparece un indio americano taíno y en la otra, un indio kiowa.

En el caso de la marca "Kiowa", aparece la cabeza mirando hacia la derecha, mientras que en la de Cohiba mira a la izquierda. La sociedad cubana recalcó que Cohiba merece una protección reforzada debido a su prestigio mundial.

Por su parte, la OAMI rechazó todos estos argumentos y expuso que los consumidores de tabaco europeos están, por lo general, más atentos e informados cuando adquieren tabaco que cuando compran otros productos. En cuanto a los signos, la oficina registradora europea esgrimió que el público percibirá en la marca Cohiba que el perfil de la cabeza se parece más a una mujer y no a un indio taíno. La OAMI señaló que los términos que motivaron el litigio tienen diferencias conceptuales y que eso basta para contrarrestar "la escasa similitud fonética" entre ambos.

Fuente: www.abc.es

INTA's Latin America programme: support it if you can!

Jeremy January 19, 2011 1 comment:

While there has been much discussion online as to the disappearance from this year's INTA Meeting programme of the Regional Update for Africa, the Latin America Update is safe and sound. According to INTA's website, it takes place on Wednesday 18 May from 11.45am to 1pm and looks like this:

"CW22 Regional Update—Latin America and Mexico

Intermediate Level

Latin America has become an important emerging market after the most recent financial crisis, experiencing a fast recovery and larger growth rates. In IP, the result of such growth is seen in the increase in the number of filings in the region and the transformation of several regional companies into global players. Large Latin American corporations now have their own IP departments, but many still outsource a variety of services. Specialized courts have been created, and new IP laws have been recently enacted.

The main topics this panel will address include:
• Trademarks and social media: infringements, case law and fair use.
• Keywords and domain names.
• How soon will the Madrid Protocol take effect?
• The risk of confusion versus the risk of association.
• Recent case law on trade dress and three-dimensional mark issues.
• The effects of the expansion of broadband Internet access and the booming telecom industry that has increased e-commerce, social media participation and the need to enforce IP rights online.

Moderator:
• Valdir Rocha, Veirano Advogados Associados (Brazil)

Speakers:
• Roberto Arochi, Arochi, Marroquin & Lindner S.C. (Mexico)
• Cristina A. Carvalho, Arent Fox LLP (Brazil)
• Damaso A. Pardo, Perez Alati, Grondona, Benites Arntsen and Martinez De Hoz (h) (Argentina)".

The title "Latin America and Mexico" fascinates this author, who had always thought that, while Mexico was handsomely located in the centre of the Americas, it is still part of Latin America even though (i) no-one there actually speaks Latin and (ii) English is understood by many and spoken by quite a lot of its inhabitants, albeit as a second language. Wikipedia adds:

"The term Latin America was supported by the French Empire of Napoleon III during the French invasion of Mexico, as a way to include France among countries with influence in America and to exclude Anglophone countries".

Readers' comments are welcome.

Now for a warning: during the past couple of years INTA has gone to great efforts to put on very good programmes with well-informed, well-prepared speakers -- but these sessions have been very poorly supported by trade mark and IP practitioners from the region. Please support your region! The better attended it is, and the more greatly it is appreciated, the safer this regular slot will be within an increasingly crowded Meeting programme.

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.