File or Fabricate: Which Comes First, the Patent Application or the Prototype?
By Joel Cheong Consider the following fictitious scenario: Eddy Sun is a seasoned engineer who developed a prototype of a self-powering cold fusion lamp for refrigerators in the 90s that provides both illumination and refrigeration effect, but due to management shelving the prototype in favour of eco-friendly refrigerants, a patent application for the prototype was […]
Manchester Derby in Singapore Court
With many Southeast Asian countries being involved in tobacco farming, it is easy to see how trademark protection over cigarettes would be important in the region. Cigarette manufacturer Jamal Abdulnaser Mahmoud Al Mahamid (“the Plaintiff”) and Global Tobacco Manufacturers (International) Sdn. Bhd. (“the Defendant”) clearly exemplified this when they brought their dispute to the High […]
Patents for New Plant Varieties in Europe?
By P. Kandiah & Samini Thiruchelvam A common dilemma amongst plant breeders is how to protect their new plant variety. In general, there are two ways to do this – by patent or by plant variety protection. New varieties of plants can be created by genetic engineering. Can such new varieties be protected by patents? […]
Made in Malaysia
By Ilangkumanan Kashaban “Merdeka!” rang the voice of freedom as the father of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman declared Malaysia’s independence on 31st August 1957. It has been 58 years of independence since, and every year Merdeka Day is awaited by the nation to cherish moments of togetherness regardless of race, ethnicity and culture. Today, the […]
Beware of Domain Name Scams!
Is someone claiming that another company is registering your domain name in China, Hong Kong or Taiwan? Here at KASS, many clients have reported receiving e-mails from Registrars in China stating that their trademark or company name is being used as part of a Chinese, Taiwanese, Hong Kong or other domain name application and unless […]
Generics vs. Patented Drugs
By Samini Thiruchelvam & P. Kandiah India’s incredible advancement in various fields of technology (including launching its own first ever Mars mission!) has attracted other nations to establish a trading relationship with India. This is further exemplified by President Obama’s recent visit to India in pursuant of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the fast-developing […]
Inventions That Changed How We Experience Music
By Joel Cheong Imagine Darth Vader appearing onscreen without “The Imperial March” or Mario jumping around without his musical theme. Life would be a lot less colourful without music. In keeping with this year’s World IP Day theme of “Get Up, Stand Up. For Music,” let’s take a look at how three inventions changed the […]
IP in Music: Shake Your Money Maker
By Rebecca Chong “Seems like everybody’s got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night when the sale comes first and the truth comes second…” – Jessie J quite aptly describes the music industry in the 21st century in that opening line from her massive hit, “Price Tag”. Traditionally, artists assign the copyright of their […]
Innovation is now SEXY
By Geetha K. Twenty years ago, the word “innovation” was not used as much as it is today. Not just in Malaysia but worldwide. As countries enter into recession and competition gets stiffer, companies are constantly being asked to innovate. Positions such as Chief Innovation Officer (Xerox®), Global Innovation Strategy Lead (PwC®), Global Product Innovation […]
Animal Trademarks – Yay or Neigh?
By Amahl Weeramantry Humans have relied on animals since the dawn of time. We have depended on cows for milk, chickens for eggs, elephants for heavy lifting and now jaguars… to sell cars? Companies go to great lengths to differentiate their products from competitors. From the outset of any successful product development, there will be […]