E-books: a sad tale of new territory for pirates
The rise of e-books has led to a growing amount of pirated content, and there is not yet a consistent approach to fighting it, although progress is being made, say Ulrike Grübler and Michael Schidler of Bird & Bird.
Anti-Counterfeiting Group: fighting the good fight
It is impossible to win the battle against illicit online traders, so raising public awareness is essential. In the UK, the Anti-Counterfeiting Group, which represents more than 140 multi-nationals, offers a variety of services to help fight fakes. Phil Lewis, of the ACG, reports.
How good is the Trademark Clearinghouse?
ICANN has announced that it is looking for external providers to carry out an independent review of the TMCH. Joel Vertes of law firm Olswang assesses its performance so far.
Sweet smell of success
Local knowledge and boots on the ground led to the exposure of a counterfeit perfume operation in China, as Lee Macfarland of CBI Consulting reports.
Twitter’s balancing act
Twitter has a tough job of protecting IP rights while facilitating open discussion, and this year just 7% of trademark complaints have been upheld. TBO finds out why.
The joke’s on you
After a US comedian recently sued TV host Conan O’Brien for allegedly copying his jokes that were posted on Twitter, TBO considers whether such funny remarks can be protected by copyright and how protection might be enforced on social media.
Busting the gTLD search myth
Ever since 2012, when ICANN opened the application stage for new gTLDs, there have been claims that they will perform better in search results than existing suffixes. However, as TBO reports, that is not the case.
Has .sucks set a dangerous precedent?
The pricing model for the .sucks gTLD has caused concern for many brand owners, say Flip Petillion of Crowell & Moring and Stuart Fuller of NetNames.
Rolling back the years: ‘initial interest confusion’ returns
A US appeals court has ruled in a trademark dispute concerning search results on Amazon’s website that the rarely used doctrine of ‘initial interest confusion’ may apply to the case. TBO reports.
The rise of the Instagrammer
Sponsored photographs on Instagram present brands with both opportunities and risks, while unofficial endorsements may also cause them headaches. TBO reports.
