Last September 17th, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) held an auction for 3 new generic top level domains (gTLDs); namely .BUY, .TECH, and .VIP. The results of the auction are as follows: .buy was won by Amazon-EU S.a.r.l for $4,588,888, beating out 3 other applicants .tech was won by Dot Tech LLC for $6,760,000, beating out …
The meaning of “seat” limitations in a software license
This dispute is one to watch: it is ongoing and hopefully leads to a decision on a perennial issue that irritates software vendors. In June 1999, the Commonwealth Department of Defence and software vendor Attachmate Australasia Pty Ltd signed an agreement by which the Department of Defence had the rights to use Attachmate’s Extra! IBM 3270 terminal emulation software on …
Italian DOCG Wine Targeted By Counterfeiter
Brunello di Montalcino is a brand of red Italian wine produced in the vineyards around the town of Montalcino, roughly 120 km south of Florence in the Tuscany wine region. It is a wine with a formidable reputation dating back centuries, and is considered one of Italy’s best and rarest wines. In 1980, Brunello di Montalcino was awarded the first …
Serious Invasions of Privacy in the Digital Era: ALRC’s New Report
In June 2013, then-Australian Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus tasked the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to draft recommendations on how legislation can be tailored for the digital era and the serious invasions of privacy that seem to now be a constant source for tabloid gossip. This was no surprise. The increased use of Internet capable portable devices like smartphones and …
SEO & the Law – Seminar & Wine Tasting
SEO is a rapidly developing, independent field of marketing which has already developed case law – serving as both warning and guide to participants. This seminar covers: a) Google’s SEO guidelines, and black hat v white hat search engine tactics (and why black hat search engine tactics are contrary to law); b) Google Adwords and Australian court decisions on trade …
Sufi Student Protest Over Cavalli’s Use of Their Sacred Symbol for a Perfume Logo
A group of students of the Sufism branch of Islam have recently launched a protest against Italian designer Roberto Cavalli over a perfume logo that resembles a Sufi symbol with religious significance (or at least a substantive variation of that symbol). The logo in question is the “Just Cavalli” logo, which looks similar to a sacred symbol of the Shahmaghsoudi …
Wrays CEO, Frank Hurley discusses driving success in the Australian mid-market business space
“In our industry it’s a battle for talent. We compete by getting the best people we can possibly pay for.” – Wrays CEO Frank Hurley Click here to read the article on Business Review Weekly.
Protecting our Pharmaceutical Innovators – Australia a favourable jurisdiction for preliminary injunctions
Andrew Mullane, Craig Humphris, Todd Shand AUSTRALIA IS A FAVOURABLE JURISDICTION FOR INNOVATOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES SEEKING INTERLOCUTORY INJUNCTIONS Due to the complexity of Australian patent litigation, it can take more than 18 months for a patent dispute to be finally determined by a judge. This is more than enough time for an infringing competitor to irreversibly damage the patentee and …
Acquisition International (ACQ) Law Awards 2013
Recognising the firm both as a whole and for individual achievement, Wrays is honoured to receive two ACQ Law Awards for 2013. Principal at Wrays, Peter Caporn, has been named as a Leading Patent & Trade Mark Attorney of the Year. In addition, Wrays has also won Patent & Trade Mark Firm of the Year. ACQ’s approach is: “…designed to …
Former Football Player Takes Nike to Court Over Nickname Trade mark
Former professional American football player Shawne Merriman has recently commenced litigation in the US against global sporting goods giant Nike, alleging that the sports apparel and footwear company has infringed a trade mark that he owns for the term “Lights Out.”