Tag: Trademark

Santa Cola: Trademarking People

“Did you know Santa was invented by Coca-Cola? He’s actually a trademark of Coca-Cola, that’s why he’s always dressed in red and white, it’s the corporate colour,” I was told by a teenager recently. Naturally, my first reaction was to shrug it off as the wild imaginings of a precocious anti-establishment pubescent boy whose parents […]

“Regis”-trable For More Than One Party After All!

Slightly more than a year from the Opposition proceeding in the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, it seems that the trademark ownership battle between American hotel giants Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (“Starwood”), owner of the “ST. REGIS” trademark, and their Australian adversary Staywell Hospitality Group Pty Ltd (“Staywell”), proprietor of the “” mark, continued to […]

Much Ado About Nutting: Nutella Vs. Nutello

In the recent Singapore Court of Appeal (CA) case of Sarika Connoisseur Café Pte Ltd v Ferrero SpA, the CA was asked to resolve several issues on the matters of well-known trademark infringement, dilution and passing off. Sarika Connoisseur Café (the Appellant), is the owner of the “TCC – the connoisseur concerto” café chain in Singapore. […]

Definitive Decision Delivered in Degem Dispute

Here in Malaysia, we practice the “first-to-use” principle, meaning the first user of a trademark is generally considered the true owner of the mark. Therefore owners of trademarks who have failed to register their trademarks, or applied to register them at a later date, would still possess limited unregistered rights over their trademarks in Malaysia. […]

Indonesia Update: Forever 21 vs. Forever 21

By Carla Monintja Many women, even those who are not fashionistas, are quite passionate about fashion, taking to certain trends that suit them and make them feel comfortable and confident. One company that has made it a mission to provide affordable and trendy apparel to the masses is Forever 21, which would be a familiar […]