Tune into trade marks
(May 2010)
Madonna, Sting, Paul McCartney, The Estate of Jim Morrison, Dire Straits, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Jennifer Lopez have all been caught up in domain name disputes. There are many lessons that aspiring musicians can learn from these cases . . . find out more
Parallel importation of books
(July 2009)
Compared to the US and Europe books are expensive in Australia. Some reports say Australians pay up to 40% more than US consumers. One reason for this extra expense is Australia's parallel import restrictions on books . . . find out more
First in, best dressed
(April 2009)
It's no secret that fashion and brand labels go hand-in-hand. The leading fashion brands are all registered trade marks. But what can up-and-coming designers do to protect their label in their early years? . . . find out more
Punitive damages for trade mark infringement
(December 2008)
Exemplary or punitive damages are a powerful remedy. They are designed to punish the wrongdoer, act as a deterrent and discourage the victim from seeking revenge by taking the law into their own hands. They bear no necessary proportionality to the usual compensatory damages and, if awarded, the amount should 'sting' . . .[find out more]
Registering band names as trade marks
(February 2008)
Surprisingly few bands have registered their names as trade marks in Australia. You'd think, for example, that Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin would be registered as Australian trade marks. And you'd be wrong . . . [find out more]
Registering mastheads as trade marks
(October 2007)
Successful publishing titles and mastheads should ideally be protected by trade mark registration. Without this publishers are forced to rely on the law of passing off and the consumer protection provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974(Cth). The trouble with these legal actions is that . . . [find out more]
(September 2007)
This year marked the 6th anniversary of Australia becoming a Madrid Protocol member. This allows for an international trade mark application to be filed in many countries through a single application filed in Australia . . . [find out more]
(August 2007)
Major Hollywood studios and television networks have no equal when it comes to registering motion picture and television titles as trade marks. Titles are not subject to copyright protection so the studios and networks have spent a fortune . . . [find out more] (July 2007 & updated October 2007)
Google's controversial sponsored links and AdWords have caused a wave of litigation throughout the world. At this year's International Trademark Association (INTA) conference in Chicago there was standing room only . . . [find out more]
(June 2007)
You don't think twice when it comes to securing your title deeds to real property. But what about the title deeds to your intellectual property? . . . [find out more]
The beauty of Madrid
Titles as trade marks
Google sued by the Australian government competition watchdog
Trade marks - the title deeds to your business™