THE INTELLECTUAL Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPhil) plans to automate trademark and industrial design applications by next year to cut down processing to a few days in a bid to shore up registration of intellectual assets, an official said on Monday.
The project is part of the agency’s 2012-2016 Philippine Action Plan on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection and Enforcement. The action plan aims to create nationwide awareness of the benefits of IPR in an effort to stamp out piracy, and encourage local businesses and universities to protect their innovations.
“The automation of trademark and industrial design applications will happen around the end of 2012. This will cut down the application and [preliminary] approval period to five days. Trademarks and designs shouldn’t take long to approve anyway because these are easy enough to review,” Andrew Michael S. Ong, IPOPhil deputy director-general, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the First Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit.
“Right now, we are averaging eight months for our approval process, because the applications need to be filed at the office directly. With the automation, these applications can be readily submitted online,” he continued.
Trademark and industrial design applications are first given preliminary approval by the IP office. The internal study determines whether the mark or model is eligible for an IP registration based on a standard criteria. Approved applications will then be published for opposition in various newspapers to ensure there are no other claimants and that public interests and welfare will not be harmed by the registration.
The automation, the official noted, pertains only to the preliminary approval process.
“The publication after the preliminary approval takes longer than five days, but this automation is a significant improvement on the current application process, so that people can find out immediately whether their trademarks or designs were rejected so they can immediately come up with a new one,” Mr. Ong explained.
“We are definitely expecting an increase in applications and registrations once the automation is rolled out, since this will make the process easier and cheaper for businesses,” he added.
Registered trademark and industrial designs last year increased by 7.58% and almost 23% (22.99%) to 12,028 and 642 filings, respectively, from a year earlier, IPOPhil data show.
read more: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=IPOPhil-eyes-automated-trademark-applications&id=40688
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Trademark, International Trademark Laws Vital to Global Businesses
Companies go to great lengths to protect their trademarks and logos. A recent conference by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) highlighted the importance and the difficulty of doing that. The two day event drew more than 10,000 visitors of all ages.
Costumed characters were doing more than amusing visitors as they roamed around the National Trademark Expo - they were educating them. Or visit Trademark Consultant from Malaysia http://www.tigerintellectual.com/what-we-do/trademarks
"Trademarks extend not only to a picture or a logo but we have some characters trademarks," noted USPTO Commissioner Deborah Cohn. "So children actually see a lot of trademarks and have a lot to do with trademarks. We want people of all ages to know that it is very important to buy legitimate products rather than counterfeit products."
Cohn adds that trademarks can take many other forms, as well, including colors, smells and sounds. That surprises many Expo visitors.
"[Take for example] the lion's roar at the beginning of the MGM films. That is registered as a trademark. So maybe you could use a lion's roar for something completely different, but not for the films," Cohn added.
Trademark violations can hurt a business' reputation, and its bottom line. Last year, U.S. officials seized almost $200 million worth of counterfeit products, which looked like the real thing.
Consumers can be hurt, too. C. T. Toner is with GED Testing Service, which develops an exam for earning a U.S. high school equivalency diploma. It has more than 3000 testing sites worldwide.
"We want everyone here in the expo to know that there are a lot of fraudulent programs online who use the GED name," said Toner. "So we don't want people to be taken advantage of, go online pay $300 for a test, get a diploma and realize that it was actually not a GED test that can be used for job or for a college entrance."
Entertainer Chubby Checker, who popularized the dance, the twist, in the 1960s, introduced a new trademarked candy bar he is selling for charity.
"[It is called] Chubby's Checkerbar. [It's in] a few places, but not big yet. But we think over the next couple of years this bar will be all over the world," said Checker.
For business owners, like Checker, who plan on expanding to global markets, the Expo offered seminars about protecting their brand.
"If infringing goods were being manufactured in China, just by example, and they are being sent from China, they are being sent into the United States. You do not have any rights in China at this time, what is your remedy?" asked Susan Anthoy of the USPTO.
Deborah Cohn says trademark protection extends only to national borders.
"So if you register your mark in the United States, then your rights extend in the United States. You would register it in each country that you want protection in," explained Cohn.
That is what David Holmes has learned today. The musician sells his CDs and performs live.
"When you are using the Internet, that is basically international and as a musician you probably would want your music to go internationally. I know I do," said Holmes.
Holms adds that he is now thinking of ways to protect his name as a trademark in the global marketplace.
Costumed characters were doing more than amusing visitors as they roamed around the National Trademark Expo - they were educating them. Or visit Trademark Consultant from Malaysia http://www.tigerintellectual.com/what-we-do/trademarks
"Trademarks extend not only to a picture or a logo but we have some characters trademarks," noted USPTO Commissioner Deborah Cohn. "So children actually see a lot of trademarks and have a lot to do with trademarks. We want people of all ages to know that it is very important to buy legitimate products rather than counterfeit products."
Cohn adds that trademarks can take many other forms, as well, including colors, smells and sounds. That surprises many Expo visitors.
"[Take for example] the lion's roar at the beginning of the MGM films. That is registered as a trademark. So maybe you could use a lion's roar for something completely different, but not for the films," Cohn added.
Trademark violations can hurt a business' reputation, and its bottom line. Last year, U.S. officials seized almost $200 million worth of counterfeit products, which looked like the real thing.
Consumers can be hurt, too. C. T. Toner is with GED Testing Service, which develops an exam for earning a U.S. high school equivalency diploma. It has more than 3000 testing sites worldwide.
"We want everyone here in the expo to know that there are a lot of fraudulent programs online who use the GED name," said Toner. "So we don't want people to be taken advantage of, go online pay $300 for a test, get a diploma and realize that it was actually not a GED test that can be used for job or for a college entrance."
Entertainer Chubby Checker, who popularized the dance, the twist, in the 1960s, introduced a new trademarked candy bar he is selling for charity.
"[It is called] Chubby's Checkerbar. [It's in] a few places, but not big yet. But we think over the next couple of years this bar will be all over the world," said Checker.
For business owners, like Checker, who plan on expanding to global markets, the Expo offered seminars about protecting their brand.
"If infringing goods were being manufactured in China, just by example, and they are being sent from China, they are being sent into the United States. You do not have any rights in China at this time, what is your remedy?" asked Susan Anthoy of the USPTO.
Deborah Cohn says trademark protection extends only to national borders.
"So if you register your mark in the United States, then your rights extend in the United States. You would register it in each country that you want protection in," explained Cohn.
That is what David Holmes has learned today. The musician sells his CDs and performs live.
"When you are using the Internet, that is basically international and as a musician you probably would want your music to go internationally. I know I do," said Holmes.
Holms adds that he is now thinking of ways to protect his name as a trademark in the global marketplace.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Trademark Database
The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry launched a database system today, called the "Basket of Brand" (BOB), which will facilitate the listing of registered trademark owners.
Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the database would be used in detecting trademark infringements including those related to copyright, and in prosecuting the offenders.
Through the database, he said, the ministry would be able to prioritise on the investigations and seizure of items if the trademark owners agree to appear in court and help the prosecution prove copyright infringement.
Prior to this, he said, the ministry had problems in getting a conviction in such cases because trademark owners were unable to show proof of trademark ownership.
"Trademark owners should come forward to identify the infringed items and show proof of ownership," he said when opening the Intellectual Property Enforcement Convention at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, here.
source : http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=621276
Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the database would be used in detecting trademark infringements including those related to copyright, and in prosecuting the offenders.
Through the database, he said, the ministry would be able to prioritise on the investigations and seizure of items if the trademark owners agree to appear in court and help the prosecution prove copyright infringement.
Prior to this, he said, the ministry had problems in getting a conviction in such cases because trademark owners were unable to show proof of trademark ownership.
"Trademark owners should come forward to identify the infringed items and show proof of ownership," he said when opening the Intellectual Property Enforcement Convention at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, here.
source : http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=621276
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Trademark Battle
Mountain View-based business networking service LinkedIn appears to be tempting some trademark confusion--and maybe, a lawsuit-- with the launch Wednesday of a new service it bills Classmates, to help its users connect with former classmates via the service. The name of the firm's new feature goes head to head with a trove of trademarks owned by Classmates Online, the subsidiary of Woodland Hills-based United Online. LinkedIn's new service helps connect its users with fellow college alumni. The firm described classmates in its announcement as "a tool for insights and networking for alumni of colleges and universities around the world." A cursory search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark database shows a number of registered trademarks of Classmates Online for the use of "Classmates" for a variety of online services around connecting college, school, and other alumni. United Online is no stranger to trademark battles -- it is the target itself a trademark lawsuit, for using Memory Lane as the name of an additional service tied to Classmates Online.
read more: http://www.socaltech.com/linkedin_s_classmates_tempts_trademark_battle/s-0038840.html
read more: http://www.socaltech.com/linkedin_s_classmates_tempts_trademark_battle/s-0038840.html
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Trademark Malaysia
Tiger Intellectual is an Intellectual Property (IP) Firm in Malaysia, Singapore, China and India specializing in trademark and industrial designs services and would be very obliged to act on your behalf in filing trademark applications and industrial design applications in Malaysia, Singapore, India and over 140 countries abroad. Contact us to find out the fee cost price.
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