A Rose by Any Other Name…
“It is the time you have lost for your rose that makes your rose so important,” wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in The Little Prince. This saying proved particularly apt in the feud between two cosmetic distributors, Hai Tong Co (Pte) Ltd v. Ventree Singapore Pte Ltd et al., which was finally settled in a cross-appeal case that was brought […]
[MGCC Perspectives] The Secret Powers of Trademarks and Brands
Peaceful End to a “Sharp” Conflict: LG vs Sharp
Most trademark conflicts, much like any other conflict, result in one of two outcomes for the parties involved – a win or a loss. But there are those, like the recent case in Indonesia between electronics giants LG Electronics Inc. (“LG”) and Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (“Sharp”), that manage to find an amicable solution to the […]
‘Tis the season to be wary!
By Vincent Teh Christmas means different things to different people. To some, it’s a time of excess. A time to drink a year’s worth of alcohol in the span of a day, and to stuff oneself in one night with enough food to feed a small African nation for a decade. To some it’s a […]
[Malaysia SME] ‘Tis a season to be wary!
[Business Today] Art of Trademark War
In Defense of Monopoly
By Vincent Teh You are perpetuating the insatiable greed of mega corporations by creating unjust monopoly on precious ideas,” was the accusation thrown at me by a young impressionable man-boy upon hearing what I do for a living during lunch one day. I simply reached over and appropriated his food. “This,” I said, “is the […]
[Malaysia SME] Trademark Art of War
Dior VS Baby Dior
By Carla Monintja “I create so that each and every woman is the most beautiful“ – a quote from Christian Dior that epitomized his great appreciation of beauty, which naturally extended to his work as well. Even though Christian Dior passed away a long time ago, his name still evokes the same grandeur nowadays. Everything – […]
The “KENZO” Dilemma
Kenzo Tsujimoto (hereafter known as “the Applicant”) is the proprietor of a winery in Napa Valley, California, USA. He filed for a trademark application in Singapore for the word mark “KENZO ESTATE” for “wine, alcoholic beverages of fruit and western liquors” in Class 33. When the application was published, Kenzo (“the Opponent”), the proprietor of […]