An alcohol-fuelled trade mark battle came before the Australian Trade Marks Office last month. E&J Gallo winery opposed gin distiller Kristy Booth’s application for APOTHECARY GIN covering spirits in class 33. The large winery cited many reasons for its opposition, the primary reason being that Ms Booth’s mark was confusingly similar to its own wine brand, APOTHIC. The winery relied …
Curtin Ignition Program 2019 – scholarship applications open now!
Collaboration and augmentation are the foundational principles of innovation – Vaclav Smil We understand the importance of collaboration and the need for guidance in the early stages of commercialisation. That is why we are proud supporters of the Curtin Ignition program – an intensive training program for aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators to trial and prepare high growth business ideas for …
IoT: the ultimate solution?
Australia’s burgeoning agtech ecosystem barely existed three years ago. Yet, it’s the dawn of a new era for the country’s agricultural sector with technologies such as machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics improving crop output, yield predictions, disease control, and farm management. The newest edition of The Gatherer examines some of the big changes happening in food production …
Canada’s Trade Mark law is changing
On 17 June 2019, Canada’s trade mark law will be overhauled. One of the biggest changes is the adoption of the Nice Classification – an international classification system of goods and services. Up to now, Canada has not used any classification system when filing trade marks, which allowed owners to register their marks across a wide range of goods and …
The IP Perspective with Chris Juhasz
‘You go out into that ring and you give it absolutely everything you’ve got! After all, second place is the first loser!’ Dale Earnhardt, Race Car Driver The life of an entrepreneur is both exciting and mildly terrifying at the same time. When developing their latest innovation as stealthily as possible, entrepreneurs are sure in their conviction that it is …
Three IP tips to write into the opening act of your startup journey
As a startup, you’ve probably got a lot on your to-do list, from completing your MVP to refining your business model and planning your strategy. So where does intellectual property (IP) fit in to all of this? Do I have time? Do I have the budget? And why should I make IP a priority over all the other important stuff …
Is your ship at risk of sinking due to Trade Mark pirates?
Counterfeiting is a widespread issue that involves the manufacture and distribution of goods using another person’s name or trade mark without their permission. The implication of such practices has the potential to affect brand owners across many industries – from manufacturers of traditional branded luxury goods items, to those across the automotive, pharmaceuticals, software, entertainment, toys, food and wine industries. …
Tackling the commercialisation conundrum
Australia has a strong history of world-leading R&D and commitment to innovation. Refrigeration, heart pacemaker, black box flight recorder, ultrasound, cochlear implants, spray on skin, WIFI, and the bionic eye all came out of Australia. And let’s not forget Vegemite, the Hills Hoist, the wine cask the box kite and Australian Rules Football too! We are fortunate to be home …
A unique approach to patents
One of the greatest perceived barriers to obtaining a patent in Australia is the cost and time involved. However, Australia has a unique two-tiered patent system which can fast-track obtaining patents, and potentially postpone the post-filing cost of prosecuting the patent indefinitely. Our system comprises ‘standard patents’, which last up to 20 years, and ‘innovation patents’ which have a maximum …
Battle of the brands: Nirvana sues Marc Jacobs for copyright
The estate of band Nirvana is suing fashion designer Marc Jacobs, along with Saks and Neiman Marcus, for copyright infringement following the release of their “Redux Grunge” collection. The collection was created to pay tribute to the infamous grunge era and features a t-shirt using the iconic Nirvana smiley face logo. Jacobs filed a notice of dismissal, arguing that the copyright …