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Preventing the Cybersquatters and Name Squatting Opportunists

June 16, 2009

It is obviously easier and cheaper to prevent cybersquatting and name squatting by pre-emptively protecting your brand and blocking your trade marks from being used by others.

For those who have missed the chance to register their bus...

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Building an Outstanding Online Brand

July 6, 2009

There is a minefield of information to steer through for small businesses aiming to build an outstanding online brand.

They need sufficient understanding of trade mark and internet law to name their business effectively.  Should they c...

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Trade Mark Opposition. Spot the differences: ‘Vysion Ltd’ or ‘Vision Ltd’

July 14, 2009

Are you currently in the process of registering a trade mark for your brand? Everything can be ticking along smoothly until the day you receive a letter from the registry saying that your application has been opposed. What to do next? ...

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Trade Mark Registry Launches Right Start

October 1, 2009

The UK Trade Mark Registry has launched a new trade mark application service called Right Start which goes live today.

Under the Right Start service applicants will be able to test whether their trade mark will be accepted by examin...

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How to Protect Logos with Design Registration and Copyright

In this video, Shireen Smith discusses how there are a variety of strategies for protecting the rights in your logo or design, from trademark registration to design registration and copyright statutory declarations.

 

 

 
             
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How to Pick a Winning Name

May 21, 2010

In the early days of the internet when the web was like a small village which has just  one bread shop, one toy shop or one other type of store, it was understandable that businesses were drawn to names like toys.com or books.com or hot...

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How safe is Coca Cola’s trade mark COKE?

June 28, 2010

Some time ago Coca Cola registered COKE as a trade mark for soft drinks both in the UK and USA.

So, I was interested to hear from my daughter that the term ‘coke’ is commonly used as a general reference to fizzy drinks throughout the ...

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What Everybody Ought to Know ….About Names and Trade Marks

July 2, 2010

In business, as in life, we are constantly assessing and managing risks.  One of the most important risks to avoid is that of choosing your brand name without doing some very careful searches.  

I know this from personal experience.

W...

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Trade Marks and Branding, a World Apart?

August 9, 2010

In their article earlier this year, the Ipkat drew attention to the fact that there is a marked separation between the worlds of trade marks and branding.

More often than not the two are not addressed collectively, but are rather dea...

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Facebook, Easyjet, McDonalds Trademark disputes – Reason to be distinctive

September 10, 2010

Businesses are often surprised to learn that trademarks, unlike domain or company names, do not have to be the same to prevent others from using or registering them.  Similar names are also covered. Some interesting examples of ho...

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Registering trade marks for product designs – Another red brick in the wall

September 27, 2010

In a competitive market setting your products apart from other people’s is key to maintaining an edge. Product design is often an important characteristic of a brand. It could even be the USP of the business.

Where, however, the ...

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Registrability of Trade Marks – WIENER WERKSTATTE

October 25, 2010

A trade mark can be refused where it is descriptive of the goods and services it covers. This could be where the mark ‘designates the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value or geographical origin’ of the goods or service o...

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