Trademarks + Brands by Corsearch

As we did last year, we’re rounding up some big brands celebrating milestone anniversaries this year…including one very familiar brand establishment and protection leader!

After 70 years as an industry leader in brand establishment and protection for trademark and brand professionals, Corsearch reached yet another milestone this week with its acquisition of Yellow. Press Release

“Cannabis trademarks represent the new frontier in the legal brand clearance process.” 

As we hit the halfway mark in 2018, it's a good time to note that sweeping changes to Canada's trademark law are expected to come into force early in 2019. Amendments to the "Trade-marks Act" include:

• A date of first use will no longer be required.
• The definition of a trademark will be broadened to include nontraditional items like smells, tastes, textures, and moving images.
• Dividing trademark applications will be permitted.
• A Declaration of Use will no longer be required.
• The registration term will be change from 15 years to 10 years.
• Canada will become a member of the Madrid Protocol and adopt the Nice Classification of goods and services.
• Third party correspondence (i.e, Letters of Protest) will be permitted during prosecution. 
• The government registration fee will be eliminated.
• Registration fees for every classification will be introduced. 

The UK Supreme Court ruled that internet service providers (ISPs) no longer have to pay the cost of blocking websites that breach trademarks. The court's unanimous ruling, against French luxury goods maker Cartier means that companies that want to enforce blocks against, for example, companies that sell counterfeit goods, must now pay "reasonable costs" to ISPs.

Calling the ruling "a potential landmark win," Mobile News notes that the ruling raises questions in the legal community about whether the same principle could apply to illegal downloads of copyrighted music.