Certification and Collective Marks is a thoroughly updated and augmented edition of Certification Marks, first published in 2002. This comprehensive study forms a wide-ranging inquiry, with comparisons of the certification and collective mark systems of the UK, EU and US, whilst also referring to other systems. In addition to the laws and policies impacting ownership and use of these marks, also addressed are their historical development, registration and protection, certifiers’ liability, legal and commercial significance, use in regulatory and technical standardization frameworks, and emergent sui generis forms of certification, namely ecolabels and electronic authentication marks in digital content. This publication is especially timely in light of the advent of the EU certification mark and the controversial EU proposals to extend the Geographical Indications system to include non-agri-food products.

Certification of web sites plays an important role in Internet security. A certification mark is a guarantee that goods or services, in connection with which the mark is used, comply with certain standards. Certification marks are classed as a special category of trade mark. While they have existed under US and UK law, and the laws of many European and other countries, for almost 100 years, there is currently no publication focusing specifically on the subject. Certification Marks discusses the current state of law in this area, placing it in an historical and commercial context. Particular effort is made to examine several unresolved issues which look set to play important roles in the future, especially EU certification and harmonisation and electronic certification.

Introduction to Intellectual Property provides a clear, effective introduction to patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets. The text may be used by students and instructors in formal courses, as well as those applying intellectual property considerations to entrepreneurship, marketing, law, computer science, engineering, design, or other fields. The luminaries involved with this project represent the forefront of knowledge and experience, and the material offers considerable examples and scenarios, as well as exercises and references.

This work comprehensively covers the legal issues and practical concerns of trade mark licensing in the international context, particularly with regard to the UK and USA. It describes the historical development and current practice of the relevant laws, including the registered user system, quality control, the Lanham Act and the UK 1994 Trade Marks Act. The focus of the work is on types of license agreement, contractual aspects and problems connected with termination. It addresses EC competition law, bankruptcy, product liability and special text considerations, and concludes with an annotated sample trade mark licence, together with extensive cross-references and annotations.

Focuses on the current law relating to the protection of registered trademarks and certain related rights. This includes registered trade marks, well-known trade marks, certification marks, collective marks, protested geographical origin indicators, international conventions, and passing off. There is clear explanation of the underlying principles and concepts with a breakdown of procedural matters, thereby helping to tie the different areas together. Individual topics covered include: Kit-Kat - when can 3D shape marks benefit from 'acquired distinctiveness'? Whether colours may form part of 3D shape marks - Louboutin Infringement by 'wrong way round' confusion Limitations on the own-name defence Calculation of damages, and the availability of blocking injunctions

For some time now, there has been conflict concerning the role in the global marketplace of certain agricultural or handcrafted products of specific geographical origin: whether they should come under trademark law (as favoured by common law countries such as the United States) or under the geographical indications (GI) system developed in France and subsequently promoted by the European Union (EU). At this moment, China is in the eye of the storm. Taking fully into account the legislative and judicial gaps in China’s compromised embrace of the GI concept, this book shows how the Chinese case brings to prominence fundamental issues relating to the functional dissimilarity between trademarks and GIs, the treatment of the terroir concept, the role of GIs in rural development, and the challenges of adopting the French and European model in other countries, especially in East Asia. Providing detailed information on how GIs are registered, protected, and managed in China, France, and the EU, the book includes such practical analysis as the following: comparison between the Chinese and European GI systems to highlight differences in essential elements for GI registration and protection; mistakes and errors arising from forcing the GI function into trademark law; the increasingly larger scope of EU GI protection, protection of collective marks containing GIs, and the extension of GI protection to handicrafts; who is responsible for the protection of each registered name and who can sue for infringement; and legislative options for future GI protection in China. Recognizing not only that GIs protect consumers against fraud and producers against unfair competition but also that the goals include the preservation of rural development, cultural heritage, and traditional knowledge, as well as environmental and ecological protection, this book provides a comprehensive reference on legal tools available for policymakers, legal practitioners, researchers, and local producers concerned with GI or trademark issues in China, France, or the EU. It will prove greatly helpful to corporate lawyers filing international registration applications and taking legal action. It will also be of inestimable value to officials in a variety of countries that are considering developing or improving systems to enhance the value of terroir products, and to academics interested in intellectual property law, trademark law, agriculture policy, GI legislation, or World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

European Trade Mark Law provides a coherent and authoritative commentary on both the substantive and procedural aspects of European trade mark law. It presents an integrated picture of the two major trade mark law provisions at EU level: the Community Trade Mark Regulation (CMTR), which provides for the registration and protection of a Europe-wide mark; and the Trade Mark Directive (TMD), which aims to harmonise national trade mark laws. The book's core focus is the Community texts and case law, and it offers a detailed analysis of the CMTD and TMD, as well as practical discussion of the procedure for registering, maintaining, and challenging a trade mark through the European Trade Mark Office and at the national level. It considers how national laws have been successfully harmonised by the TMD, and where they differ significantly from others in their implementation of the Directive. Written by one of the leading trade mark lawyers in Europe, this is an invaluable reference for both academics and practitioners in this complex and rapidly developing area of law.

The definitive practitioner text on the UK law of trade marks and trade names. The book provides trade mark practitioners with a comprehensive analysis of trade mark law through a mix of commentary, case law and legislation.

This guide is the first in a series of guides on “Intellectual Property for Business.” It is devoted to trademarks, a central element in the marketing and branding strategy of any company. It seeks to explain trademarks from a business perspective.