The Court of Appeal decision in Global Yellow Pages Ltd v Promedia Directories Pte Ltd [2017] SGCA 28 affirmed the decision of the High Court dated 28th January 2016 - ruling in favour of Promedia Directories (“the Defendant”) and dismissing Global Yellow Pages’ (“the Plaintiff”) appeal. The case has set important precedent in Singapore copyright […]
Publications
Singapore Trademark Revocation - Apple's Sherlock Killed Off!
Despite the recent popularity surge in old technological phenomena, with Nintendo’s Pokémon being ubiquitous on small hand-held screens again, and Nokia having relaunched – to widespread excitement - its iconic 3310 phone, it is not always easy for tech giants to hold on to past products and features in the hope of one day re-marketing […]
Singapore Patent Protection Examined in Car Crash Camera Case
Validity | Novelty | Inventive Step | Infringement | Groundless Threat | Expert Witness | Patent Construction The judgment in Lee Tat Cheng v Maka GPS Technologies Pte Ltd [2017] SGHC 48 concerned an infringement action and an application for a declaration of infringement brought by Mr. Lee Tat Cheng (“the Plaintiff”), proprietor of Singapore […]
Singapore Announces New Patent Rules and Fees to Promote Innovation
Singapore has recently announced a range of major changes to its patent rules that will affect those seeking protection in a variety of ways. On 28 February 2017, changes to the Patents (Amendment) Bill were approved to revamp the patent application system, commencing on 1 January 2020. The new Bill aims at a more stringent […]
Revised Trademark Rules in India
The Government of India announced broad changes to the Trademark Rules on 6 March 2017. The changes came into effect immediately. The relevant changes to the Rules are: 1. Increase in Official Fees 2. Registration of Well-Known Marks A trademark owner can now seek to have his mark to be declared “well-known” in India […]
Audi Drives the A-One Out of Singapore
In a bid to bolster its intellectual property portfolio in Singapore, German car manufacturer Audi (‘the applicant’) recently succeeded partially in the revocation of a device mark in Audi AG v Lim Ching Kwang. At the hearing before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), the applicant had applied for both revocation of Mr Lim […]
Cambodia Becomes First Asian EPO Validation State
On January 23rd 2017 in Phnom Penh, an agreement was signed between Cambodian Senior Minister for Industry Cham Prasidh and Benoit Batistelli, President of the European Patent Office, stipulating that patents registered with the European Patent Office (EPO) will be valid in Cambodia, with a date of 1st July 2017 set as the projected entry […]
Singapore: No Snap Judgment on Similarity of Marks
The recent opposition matter between two mobile software application manufacturers before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) of Apptitude Pte Ltd v. MGG Software Pte Ltd was a battle for trademark rights in an expanding niche market. In ultimately failing on all grounds of its opposition, Apptitude’s (the opponent) case showed that important criteria […]
No Break Given to Nestlé in Kit Kat Shape Mark Appeal in Singapore
A Kit Kat bar, with its two-finger and four-finger breakable wafers coated with chocolate, is surely one of the most famously-shaped food items that one could enjoy at a local store almost anywhere around the world to ‘have a break’ – as the product’s tagline goes. Yet, in the conclusion of a long-running dispute, Nestlé […]
The Swiss Don’t Miss in Malaysian Geographical Indications Dispute
The apex court of Malaysia – the Federal Court – recently provided its grounds of judgment in Chocosuisse Union Des Fabricants Suisses De Chocolat, Kraft Food Schweiz AG and Nestlé Suisse SA v. Maestro Swiss Chocolate Sdn. Bhd. The decision centred primarily on the tort of extended passing off and the Geographical Indications Act. […]