Here is Think IP Strategy’s weekly selection of top intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet.

 

Highlights this week included:

Greater transparency: Introducing the USPTO Data Visualization Center and the Patents Dashboard (Director’s Forum) (IAM) (The Gray Blog) (Patent Circle) (Inventive Step) (Anticipate This!) (Patently-O) (271 Patent Blog)

 

Please join the discussion by adding your comments on any of these stories, and please do let us know if you think we’ve missed something important, or if there is a source you think should be monitored.

 

Global

Global – General

What are your real IP policies and what to do about them (post 5 of 5 on Strategic IP Reviews) (IP Think Tank) 

Innovation and trolling (IPKat)

Best IP protection ranking countries from World Economic Forum ‘Global Competitiveness Report’ – 2010-11 (IPKat)

Rembrandt’s are not only in the company attic! (Business IP and Intangible Asset Blog) 

Global – Trade Marks / Brands

Brand name vs. brand quality (IPBiz)

Global – Patents

Is it worth recording changes to PCT application information during the international phase? (Inovia IP)

Global – Copyright

Treaty negotiators turn to ‘ACTA Lite’ in hopes of closure (IP Watch)  

 

Australia

Costs and damages orders in karaoke infringement case: FMCA order in Top Plus Pty Ltd & Ors v K Square Pty Ltd & Ors (IP Whiteboard)

 

Belgium

Belgium EU presidency prioritises patents, but we’ve heard it all before (IAM)

 

Canada

Update on patent strategy (IPblog)

Federal Court decision raises questions about need for new making available right (Michael Geist)

ACTA, ‘Ex Officio’ enforcement, and parallel imports (Excess Copyright)

When prior use is not prior use – Supreme Court grants leave to appeal in Masterpiece Inc v Alavida Lifestyles Inc (Canadian Trademark Blog)

Beer, trademarks and the jurisdiction of the Opposition Board: Molson Canada 2005 v. Anheuser-Busch, Incorporated (Canadian Trademark Blog)

STENNER – Feud over family name spills into Federal Court (Canadian Trademark Blog)

Expungement: A poisoned trademark – for both parties: JAG Flocomponents N.A. Inc. v. Archmetal Industries (Canadian Trademark Blog)

Certification mark under the Trade-marks Act refused: Evidence of use by other: Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Cyprus v. Les Producteurs Laitiers du Canada et al. (Canadian Trademark Blog)

Affidavit struck: US Trademark decision not to be used as evidence: The Chamberlain Group v. Lynx Industries Inc (Canadian Trademark Blog) 

 

Chile

New tools to facilitate the registration of marks (IP tango) (IP tango)

 

China

Chinese coffee cats, obscene brand ‘star tuuuut’ and the difference between B and F (IP Dragon)

Product name makes no sense? Probably a trademark issue (China Hearsay)

What can a famous foot brand do against footwear using its mark? (IP Dragon)

China’s innovation metric’s II: a brief note on trademarks (China Hearsay)

China’s Indigenous Innovation Policy and its effect on foreign intellectual property rights holders (China Law Insight)

 

Europe

European Commission tells Parliament ACTA must be minimal (IP Watch)

Could the EU walk away from ACTA, redux (Michael Geist)

EU launches survey of countries’ deficiency in IP enforcement (IP Watch)

Pingpong pogs at the ECJ: C-281/10P PepsiCo v Grupo Promer Mon Graphic (Class 99)

EU Patent – background note on machine translations (IP:JUR)

ICEBERG sinks ICEBREAKER: conceptual similarity ‘not decisive’ whether visual and aural similarity exist: Case T-112/09 Icebreaker Ltd v OHIM, Gilmar Ltd (Class 46)

General Court uphold denial of trade mark protection of image of guitar head for musical instruments: Wilfer v OHIM (Class 46) 

 

Germany

BGH on enablement: disclosure may be enabling without being novelty destroying (IPKat)

Higher Regional Court Karlsruhe: ‘Urgency’ requirement for interim injunction under § 140c(3) Patents Act (EPLAW)

Bundesgerichtshof: Disclosure in relation to amendments: Xa ZR 124/07 (EPLAW)

 

Ghana

Ghana to prosecute illicit users of folklore (Afro-IP)

 

India

Trademark tangles – Mera Wala Manjal (Spicy IP)

Sholay makers to sue Greenpeace (Spicy IP)

CGPDTM releases a list of ‘scientific advisors’ (Spicy IP)

Issuing ‘radio’ compulsory licences in the wake of a ‘Mirchi’ controversy (Spicy IP)

Eve-teasers knocked out, beer-bellied or otherwise! Trademark battle between Skol Breweries and Unisafe Technologies (Spicy IP)

Hyderabadi Haleem gets dubious GI tag (Spicy IP)

Patent competence? – requisite qualifications for patent practice in India (Spicy IP) (Spicy IP)

 

Israel

The pitfall of Section 17c – Varicom Communications LTD shoot themselves in the foot (IP Factor) 

 

 

New Zealand

The New Zealand sting: after-the-event revisiting of honeytech fees (IP finance)

 

 

Poland

Whose treasure is it? – SKARB KIBICA trade mark dispute(Class 46)

Similarity of signs, homogenity of goods – ALT ATLANTIC word-figurative mark case (Class 46)

The average consumers’ confusion – ALFOFARM TM dispute(Class 46)

 

 

South Africa

Supreme Court of Appeal confirms territoriality of IP rights in Gallo Africa v Sting Music (Afro-IP)

Seeing Red: colour marks case Henkel AG v Trefoil Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd (Afro-IP)

 

 

Spain

Hints on how to calculate the ‘reasonable royalty’ in trade mark infringement cases (Class 46)

 

United States

US Patent Reform

‘We must unleash…innovation…and nurture the ideas the spring from our entrepreneurs’ (IPBiz)

Lemley on fixing the US Patent Office (271 Patent Blog)

US Patents

Greater transparency: Introducing the USPTO Data Visualization Center and the Patents Dashboard (Director’s Forum) (IAM) (The Gray Blog) (Patent Circle) (Inventive Step) (Anticipate This!) (Patently-O) (271 Patent Blog)

Measuring pendency and allowance rate – The role of RCEs (Patently-O)

Kappos says PTO making progress on backlog (Inventive Step)

Reality check needed at the USPTO? (IPBiz)

When David Kappos will know he’s truly succeeded (IAM)

USPTO updates obviousness examination guidelines (Patent Docs)

US Patents – Decisions

CAFC: District Court improperly invalidated patent that mis-identified best mode: Green Edge Ent. LLC v Rubber Mulch Etc. LLC (Patently-O)

CAFC affirms claim construction using comparative language: Funai Electric Company v. Daewoo Electronics Corporation (Gray on Claims)

CAFC review of ITC determinations: General Protecht Group v. ITC (Patently-O)

District Court Utah: Failure to mark not attributed to licensor where licensee’s rights arise from ‘License that contains an apparently unlimited covenant not to sue’: Phillip M. Adams & Associates, L.L.C. v. Lenovo International, et. al. (Docket Report)

US Patents – Lawsuits and strategic steps

Interactive Life Forms, LLC – Interactive Life Forms files motions to terminate investigation as to Web Merchants, Inc. and Nanma Manufacturing Co., Ltd. based on consent orders (ITC 337 Update)

Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc – New complaint filed by Leviton concerning technology related to ground fault interrupters (ITC 337 Update)

MicroJet Technology Co., Ltd. (Taiwan) – MicroJet -ordered to show cause for failure to respond to investigation (ITC 337 Update)

Red Bull – General Exclusion Order issued in energy drink investigation (ITC 337 Update)

Richtek – ALJ Luckern rules on motions for summary determination in certain DC-DC Controllers (337-TA-698) (ITC Law Blog)

US Copyright – Decisions

A contract isn’t ‘intellectual property’ just because you’ve named it that: 4^th Circuit decision in Universal Furniture Int’l, Inc. v. Collezione Europa USA (Property, intangible)

4^th Circuit: Fair use, the Standard Hail Mary: Bouchat v. National Football League (1709 Blog)

US Copyright – Lawsuits and strategic steps

Omega SA – American lawyers love expensive watches, ABA amicus brief confirms: Costco Wholesale Corp v Omega SA (IPKat)

US Trade Marks – Decisions

9^th Circuit modifies tests for laches and acquiescence: Seller Agency Council, Inc. v. Kennedy Center for Real Estate Education, Inc. (Seattle Trademark Lawyer)

District Court N D Illinois: Unrelated sales do not create specific jurisdiction: Merrill Primack v. Polto, Inc (Chicago IP Litigation)

District Court W D Washington denies Cake Boss star’s motion to dismiss: Masters Software, Inc. v. Discovery Communications, Inc. (Seattle Trademark Lawyer)

District Court W D Washington denies summary judgment over trademark ownership: Trade Associates, Inc. v. Fusion Technologies Inc (Seattle Trademark Lawyer)

Prededential no. 34: TTAB affirms refusal to register ‘Beer Glass and Stand’ packaging for lack of distinctiveness (TTABlog)

TTAB decides dispute between two Lubavitch Chassidic Factions over Kehot Logo (TTABlog)

TTAB reverses refusal of CORPORATE FUEL for business advisory services, finding disclaimer of CORPORATE unnecessary (TTABlog)

WYHP? TTAB dismisses 2(d) cancellation petition hinged on AUGUSTINE’S SPIRITUAL GOODS ownership issue (TTABlog)

US Trade Marks – Lawsuits and strategic steps

GroupOn – GroupOn sues Australian companies Groupon and Scoopon for trademark infringement (Las Vegas Trademark Attorney)