Protect Your Rights: Managing Intellectual Property RisksErin L. Webb
I presented as part of a panel at PAX Dev 2015 that discussed intellectual property risks for video game developers and producers, and how to manage those risks. My focus was on the availability of insurance coverage to protect against IP infringement claims, and how to maximize your insurance once you have it.
It all starts with an epiphany. Every invention begins with a single “eureka moment” or some “brilliant revelation” that causes the inventor to take action.
These epiphanies become the idea seeds planted by inventors around the world. But we can only wish the process was as simple as adding water and fertilizer and waiting for the ideas to spring to life.
Inventions are not just patents to be hung on a wall. They are the starting point for a new business enterprise. So, not only does the inventor have to figure out how to create a working product or device, they also have to drive it forward, creating a business model that will enable it to survive. And that’s where we come in.
The Inventor Boot Camp will help you focus on what’s important. We will show you ways to leverage your time and resources, eliminate unnecessary work, and direct your energies towards driving your product forward. And most importantly, we will teach you what it takes to become successful.
Key Strategies to Learn
How to perform an early stage benefit/market analysis to decide in advance who your end customer will be. Once you fully understand who your customer is, only then can you begin to piece together your business model.
How to develop a profit-centric mindset, the same thinking used by most successful inventors, to maximize your odds of success.
How to decide if your invention needs to be patented. If it doesn’t, this can save you significant amounts of money.
Who you should be listening to. Advice will come from many sources, but not all of it will be good.
How to best position yourself for funding. Hear it directly from the people who have money to invest.
Many startups ignore trademark issues, thinking that if they can find a good domain name, that they're ready to go to start a business. And only when, after receiving a cease and desist letter from a company with a similar mark, do they start to realize otherwise.
This meetup will distill trademark law into a few core takeaways that every business owner should know. How do I choose a name? What types of names are easy to protect and what names are hard to protect? What's the difference between state and federal trademark protection?
For more information about trademark law, visit our blog at www.coloradostartuplawyer.com
Professional Issues in IT - Intellectual Property Basics
Reference : Tavani, Herman T., “Ethics and technology: controversies, questions, and strategies for ethical computing” , 4th Edition.
What’s in a Name? Everything! Trademark and Copyright EssentialsJason Springer
Your company name, your slogan and the goodwill of your customers are critical to elevating your bottom line. This free seminar will show you how to protect, leverage and capitalize on these valuable assets, and provide useful tips on protecting and enforcing your rights as a business owner.
Protect Your Rights: Managing Intellectual Property RisksErin L. Webb
I presented as part of a panel at PAX Dev 2015 that discussed intellectual property risks for video game developers and producers, and how to manage those risks. My focus was on the availability of insurance coverage to protect against IP infringement claims, and how to maximize your insurance once you have it.
It all starts with an epiphany. Every invention begins with a single “eureka moment” or some “brilliant revelation” that causes the inventor to take action.
These epiphanies become the idea seeds planted by inventors around the world. But we can only wish the process was as simple as adding water and fertilizer and waiting for the ideas to spring to life.
Inventions are not just patents to be hung on a wall. They are the starting point for a new business enterprise. So, not only does the inventor have to figure out how to create a working product or device, they also have to drive it forward, creating a business model that will enable it to survive. And that’s where we come in.
The Inventor Boot Camp will help you focus on what’s important. We will show you ways to leverage your time and resources, eliminate unnecessary work, and direct your energies towards driving your product forward. And most importantly, we will teach you what it takes to become successful.
Key Strategies to Learn
How to perform an early stage benefit/market analysis to decide in advance who your end customer will be. Once you fully understand who your customer is, only then can you begin to piece together your business model.
How to develop a profit-centric mindset, the same thinking used by most successful inventors, to maximize your odds of success.
How to decide if your invention needs to be patented. If it doesn’t, this can save you significant amounts of money.
Who you should be listening to. Advice will come from many sources, but not all of it will be good.
How to best position yourself for funding. Hear it directly from the people who have money to invest.
Many startups ignore trademark issues, thinking that if they can find a good domain name, that they're ready to go to start a business. And only when, after receiving a cease and desist letter from a company with a similar mark, do they start to realize otherwise.
This meetup will distill trademark law into a few core takeaways that every business owner should know. How do I choose a name? What types of names are easy to protect and what names are hard to protect? What's the difference between state and federal trademark protection?
For more information about trademark law, visit our blog at www.coloradostartuplawyer.com
Professional Issues in IT - Intellectual Property Basics
Reference : Tavani, Herman T., “Ethics and technology: controversies, questions, and strategies for ethical computing” , 4th Edition.
What’s in a Name? Everything! Trademark and Copyright EssentialsJason Springer
Your company name, your slogan and the goodwill of your customers are critical to elevating your bottom line. This free seminar will show you how to protect, leverage and capitalize on these valuable assets, and provide useful tips on protecting and enforcing your rights as a business owner.
IP - What Every Lawyer & Every Client Must Understand (Series: Intellectual P...Financial Poise
Intellectual property or “IP” is a term used to describe certain types of intangible property. Like other forms of property, such as real estate and personal property, IP can be owned, purchased or transferred. How ownership is determined differs according to the type of IP. This webinar discusses the importance of certainty in ownership of IP and how ownership of IP is entangled with areas of corporate law and employment law.
To listen to this webinar on-demand, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/ip-what-every-lawyer-must-understand-2020/
An overview of how to choose a trademark for entrepreneurs, business people, and creative professionals. "How Do I Choose a Strong Trademark?" includes the following:
When should I ask this question?
The Trademark Spectrum: Generic, Descriptive, Suggestive, Fanciful, and Arbitrary marks.
What is "Secondary Meaning?"
Avoiding trademark conflicts.
A few things to avoid when choosing a trademark.
For more information, please go to LizerbramLaw.com
A business’s brand defines it in the market and allows consumers to identify products associated with the business. As such, in today’s competitive marketplace, businesses must carefully choose which brands to develop and how to protect those brands from competitors. This webinar discusses some of the challenges that businesses are likely to face when initially choosing a brand, and later protecting that brand.
To listen to this webinar on-demand, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/choosing-building-protecting-your-brand-2020/
Unit 5 Intellectual Property Protection in CyberspaceTushar Rajput
Intellectual Property in Cyberspace, Linking, In lining and Framing, P2P Networking,
Webtesting, Domain Names, Management of IPRs in cyberspace, Liabilities of Internet Services Providers, Digital Rights Management, Search Engines and their
Abuse, Non-original Database
DEFCON17 - Your Mind: Legal Status, Rights and Securing YourselfJames Arlen
James Arlen and Tiffany Rad
As a participant in the information economy, you no longer exclusively own material originating from your organic brain; you leave a digital trail with your portable device's transmitted communications and when your image is captured by surveillance cameras. Likewise, if you Tweet or blog, you have outsourced a large portion of your memory and some of your active cognition to inorganic systems. U.S. and International laws relating to protection of intellectual property and criminal search and seizure procedures puts into question protections of these ephemeral communications and memoranda stored on your personal computing devices, in cloud computing networks, on off-shore "subpoena proof" server platforms, or on social networking sites.
Although once considered to be futuristic technologies, as we move our ideas and memories onto external devices or are subjected to public surveillance with technology (Future Attribute Screening Technology) that assesses pre-crime thoughts by remotely measuring biometric data such as heart rate, body temperature, pheromone responses, and respiration, where do our personal privacy rights to our thoughts end and, instead, become public expressions with lesser legal protections? Similarly, at what state does data in-transit or stored in implantable medical devices continuously connected to the Internet become searchable? In a society in which there is little differentiation remaining between self/computer, thoughts/stored memoranda, and international boundaries, a technology lawyer/computer science professor and a security professional will recommend propositions to protect your data and yourself.
Inventor Boot Camp Thomas Franklin 10 17 2009dr2tom
Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP)
Presentation includes types of IP - Trade Secrets, Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents; Timing Issues for Protecting IP; and Patent Strategy Models
A business’s brand defines it in the market and allows consumers to identify products associated with the business. As such, in today’s competitive marketplace, businesses must carefully choose which brands to develop and how to protect those brands from competitors. This webinar discusses some of the challenges that businesses are likely to face when initially choosing a brand, and later protecting that brand.
To view the accompanying webinar, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/choosing-building-protecting-your-brand-2021/
IP - What Every Lawyer & Every Client Must Understand (Series: Intellectual P...Financial Poise
Intellectual property or “IP” is a term used to describe certain types of intangible property. Like other forms of property, such as real estate and personal property, IP can be owned, purchased or transferred. How ownership is determined differs according to the type of IP. This webinar discusses the importance of certainty in ownership of IP and how ownership of IP is entangled with areas of corporate law and employment law.
To listen to this webinar on-demand, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/ip-what-every-lawyer-must-understand-2020/
An overview of how to choose a trademark for entrepreneurs, business people, and creative professionals. "How Do I Choose a Strong Trademark?" includes the following:
When should I ask this question?
The Trademark Spectrum: Generic, Descriptive, Suggestive, Fanciful, and Arbitrary marks.
What is "Secondary Meaning?"
Avoiding trademark conflicts.
A few things to avoid when choosing a trademark.
For more information, please go to LizerbramLaw.com
A business’s brand defines it in the market and allows consumers to identify products associated with the business. As such, in today’s competitive marketplace, businesses must carefully choose which brands to develop and how to protect those brands from competitors. This webinar discusses some of the challenges that businesses are likely to face when initially choosing a brand, and later protecting that brand.
To listen to this webinar on-demand, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/choosing-building-protecting-your-brand-2020/
Unit 5 Intellectual Property Protection in CyberspaceTushar Rajput
Intellectual Property in Cyberspace, Linking, In lining and Framing, P2P Networking,
Webtesting, Domain Names, Management of IPRs in cyberspace, Liabilities of Internet Services Providers, Digital Rights Management, Search Engines and their
Abuse, Non-original Database
DEFCON17 - Your Mind: Legal Status, Rights and Securing YourselfJames Arlen
James Arlen and Tiffany Rad
As a participant in the information economy, you no longer exclusively own material originating from your organic brain; you leave a digital trail with your portable device's transmitted communications and when your image is captured by surveillance cameras. Likewise, if you Tweet or blog, you have outsourced a large portion of your memory and some of your active cognition to inorganic systems. U.S. and International laws relating to protection of intellectual property and criminal search and seizure procedures puts into question protections of these ephemeral communications and memoranda stored on your personal computing devices, in cloud computing networks, on off-shore "subpoena proof" server platforms, or on social networking sites.
Although once considered to be futuristic technologies, as we move our ideas and memories onto external devices or are subjected to public surveillance with technology (Future Attribute Screening Technology) that assesses pre-crime thoughts by remotely measuring biometric data such as heart rate, body temperature, pheromone responses, and respiration, where do our personal privacy rights to our thoughts end and, instead, become public expressions with lesser legal protections? Similarly, at what state does data in-transit or stored in implantable medical devices continuously connected to the Internet become searchable? In a society in which there is little differentiation remaining between self/computer, thoughts/stored memoranda, and international boundaries, a technology lawyer/computer science professor and a security professional will recommend propositions to protect your data and yourself.
Inventor Boot Camp Thomas Franklin 10 17 2009dr2tom
Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP)
Presentation includes types of IP - Trade Secrets, Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents; Timing Issues for Protecting IP; and Patent Strategy Models
A business’s brand defines it in the market and allows consumers to identify products associated with the business. As such, in today’s competitive marketplace, businesses must carefully choose which brands to develop and how to protect those brands from competitors. This webinar discusses some of the challenges that businesses are likely to face when initially choosing a brand, and later protecting that brand.
To view the accompanying webinar, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/choosing-building-protecting-your-brand-2021/
IP: What Every Lawyer & Every Client Must Understand (Series: Intellectual Pr...Financial Poise
Intellectual property or “IP” is a term used to describe certain types of intangible property. Like other forms of property, such as real estate and personal property, IP can be owned, purchased or transferred. How ownership is determined differs according to the type of IP. This webinar discusses the importance of certainty in ownership of IP and how ownership of IP is entangled with areas of corporate law and employment law.
To view the accompanying webinar, go to: https://www.financialpoise.com/financial-poise-webinars/ip-what-every-lawyer-every-client-must-understand-2021/
IP And Licensing What You Need To Know About Trademarks, Patents And Licens...sdgarrison
A general overview of trademarks, patents and common issues in license agreements presented on March 25, 2011 for The Entrepeneurs Initiative in Tucson, Arizona
In the modern open source world, where licenses and DVCS’ allow instant and infinite forking, the only true control point for a community-based open source project is its name, its logo, and its identity. Your brand is your identity: this is how the rest of the world sees you and your project.
How can a volunteer-led open source project control it’s own identity and brand? How do you manage your project’s brand when most of your volunteers are coders who don’t want to get involved with lawyers or deal with enforcing trademarks? How can the community keep their brand independent and free of commercial influence, so they can ensure the maximum number of people and corporations are interested in participating in their project?
Similarly, how can businesses respectfully use open source brands to their own advantage – without being seen as co-opting and independent or open community open source project solely for their own gain? The desire to control the next hot project for your profit may quickly turn on you when another company simply forks the code under a better marketed service.
Learn the basics of all these topics and more with Shane Curcuru, who volunteers as Vice President, Brand Management for The Apache Software Foundation. Over the past few years Shane has led a group of volunteer ASF Members to define and implement a consistent brand policy for all 100 Apache projects – spanning from the veritable HTTPD and Tomcat to the newest CouchDB and Hadoop.
All entrepreneurs and small business owners encounter a number of critical legal issues as they open or expand their companies. Learn more about the legal decisions you’ll have to make as you set up your business, identify your customers and suppliers and protect yourself from liability.
2. Table of conTenT
. What Is Intellectual Property?
. Quick Overview of the Primary Types of IP: Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade
Secrets
.Utility & Design Patents
.Intellectual property law
.Tools for protecting content
.What is an Insider?
.Tools that can greatly enhance marketing strategies
.How To Choose a Trade-mark
.Why License Intellectual Property?
.List of references
3. What Is Intellectual Property (IP)?
Refers to a category of exclusive rights created
by statute, including:
– Copyrights
– Trademarks
– Trade Secrets
– Utility Patents
– Design Patents
7. What is an Insider?
The insider has privileged access to your organization’s
network resources and intellectual property
The insider may be motivated to steal intellectual property or
may be an unaware target with access that acts as a proxy
for a criminal on the outside
Many things can motivate an insider to steal IP
8. Tools that can greatly enhance marketing strategies
Is any symbol capable of identifying and distinguishing its
owner’s products from those of others
9. Trademarks and Service Marks
“What It’s Called” or “What It Looks Like”
Always an adjective – never a noun
11. Trademarks and Service Marks
Trade Name
Company name can be a trademark or service mark – usually
a “house mark”
Apple
Walt Disney World
Mercedes
Louis Vuitton
Geico
Duck Commander
CBS
12. Copyrights
“What it looks like”, “what it sounds like”
– Constitutional and statutory protection
– Original expression of ideas (but not ideas)
• Books
• Song lyrics
• Plays
• Text, graphics, artwork, music, database, software,
documentation, packaging, advertisements, commercials,
websites
13. Copyrights
Copyright Rights
Right to reproduce
Right to prepare derivative works
Right to distribute copies
Right to perform publicly
Right to display publicly
Types of copyrights
Joint Works
Derivative Works
Compilations
Work for Hire
14. Patents
“What it does” – method, process or
apparatus
Types of Patents
Utility Patents
Plant Patents
Design Patents
Types of Patent Applications
Provisional
Traditional
One year bar date
15. TRADE-MARKS ACT R.S. 1985
“trade-mark" means
(a) a mark that is used by a person for the
purpose of distinguishing or so as to
distinguish wares or services manufactured,
sold, leased, hired or performed by him from
those manufactured, sold, leased, hired or
performed by others,
(b) a certification mark,
(c) a distinguishing guise, or
(d) a proposed trade-mark
16. How To Choose a Trade-
mark
Choose an inherently strong mark – these marks are
given the highest level of protection
mark is creative; do not describe the quality or features
of the goods and service
Eg. Google, Apple, Amazon, Indigo
17. Choose a Distinctive Trade-mark
Trade-marks will not be registered if:
Name or surname of person who is living or deceased within past 30 years
(eg. Cheung)
Descriptive or misdescriptive (eg. “Fast” for car, “Apple” for juice)
Name in any language of the goods and services
Confusingly similar to another trade-mark or trade name
18. Choose a Distinctive Trade-mark
A non-registrable trade-mark can be registered if it has become
distinctive at the date of filing an application for its registration.
See section 12 of the Trade-marks Act
19. Choose a Distinctive Trade-mark
How To Choose a Trade-mark:
1. Conduct a NUANS search
2. Internet and Google search
3. For international and North American coverage: retain a
specialized search firm
20. Examples of Famous Marks
• WARES: (1) Stationery, school and office supplies
namely, binders, student planners, notebooks, portfolio
covers, bookbags, pouches for carrying school materials,
book covers, briefcases, pen and pencil holders, school
bags, knapsacks, gym bags, calendars and pocket
calendars; computer software in the field of health and
fitness used to manage digital music, store and organize
digital music, create custom CD's, download digital music
from the internet, build, manage and transfer play lists,
categorize music by tempo, log fitness data, namely times,
paces, heart rate and injuries, create workout schedules
and goals, download data from a watch to a computer;
electrical, electronic communications and digital audio
equipment and accessories, namely portable digital music
players, calorimeters, and carrying cases for these items;
radio link watches which contain a radio frequency
transmitter, receiver and/or transceiver used to monitor
heart rate, speed and distance, communicate with wheel
sensors on bicycles and control digital audio equipment;
watches which include altimeters, compasses,
pedometers, chronographs, speed distance monitors with
speed sensor, heart rate monitors.
21. Colour as a Claim
• COLOUR CLAIM: Colour is claimed as a
feature of the trade mark. The border of
the label is black. The background is pale
gold. The three elliptical rings are a darker
shade of the same gold. The words TIM
HORTONS are red. The words ALWAYS
FRESH are dark brown.
•
WARES: (1) Donuts, donut holes, bagels,
muffins, cakes, biscuits, cookies, pies,
coffee beans and ground coffee,
sandwiches, soups, chili, soft drinks, juice,
and prepared non-alcoholic beverages
namely, coffee, specialty coffees including
cappuccino, hot chocolate, and tea.
• SERVICES: (1) Sit-down and take-out
restaurant services
23. TRADE-MARK:
REGISTRATION: TMA562648
(Color is claimed)
TRADE-MARK:
REGISTRATION: TMA290252 (shape of the box)
DISTINGUISHING GUISE:
REGISTRATION: TMA164635 (tread design)
TRADE-MARK:
REGISTRATION:
TMA355239
TRADE- MARK:
TOBLERONE
REGISTRATION: TMDA051412
24. Why License Intellectual Property?
Expand existing market share (eg. franchising)
Expanding into new territories (eg. setting up
international affiliates)
Co-branding arrangements (eg. “Intel Inside”,
MBNA credit cards with universities)
25. Licensing Intellectual Property
Grant of License. Licensor hereby grants to
Licensee, for the internal use of the Licensee only,
a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable and
royalty-free license (the “License”) to use the
Intellectual Property for the purpose of providing
software development to clients exclusively
located in the United States of America, with a
focus on the provision of micro payment services
in connection with corporate clients in retail.
Unless prior written approval is obtained from the
Licensor, the Licensee shall not use the
Intellectual Property for any other purpose.
26. Licensing Intellectual Property
License Restrictions. The grant of License is subject to the
following restrictions:
1.Licensee shall not use or distribute the Intellectual Property for
any purpose outside of the joint venture.
2.Licensee shall not market, distribute, export, translate, transmit,
merge, modify, transfer, adapt, loan, rent, lease, assign, share,
sublicense or make available to another person or individual the
Intellectual Property in any way, in whole or in part.
3.Licensee agrees to take all precautions to prevent third parties
from using the Intellectual Property in any way that would
constitute a breach of this Agreement, including without limitation,
such precautions as Licensee would otherwise take to protect its
own intellectual property and confidential information.
Three other IP statutes not commonly known:
Industrial Design
Integrated Circuit Topography
Plant Breeders Rights
This is the definition of TM in the TM Act
The important word here is “distinguish”
To distinguish goods and services between the owner of the TM and the products and services of others
– original purpose was to protect consumers so that consumers know where the product comes from and therefore safe for consumption
- evolved to protect manufacturer and owner – cases in which the brand is protected – the auto mfg Jaguar recently sued a luggage mfg for depreciation of goodwill
Eg. Coke v. Pepsi v. cott
Certification mark – indicates that the good or service meets a certain standard - eg. woolmark, CSA, VQA
Distinguishing Guise – the shape of the products indicates its origin – eg. Coke bottle, Toberone chocolate bar
"distinguishing guise" means
(a) a shaping of wares or their containers, or
(b) a mode of wrapping or packaging wares
the appearance of which is used by a person for the purpose of distinguishing or so as to distinguish wares or services manufactured, sold, leased, hired or performed by him from those manufactured, sold, leased, hired or performed by others;
certification mark" means a mark that is used for the purpose of distinguishing or so as to distinguish wares or services that are of a defined standard with respect to
(a) the character or quality of the wares or services,
(b) the working conditions under which the wares have been produced or the services performed,
(c) the class of persons by whom the wares have been produced or the services performed, or
(d) the area within which the wares have been produced or the services performed,
from wares or services that are not of that defined standard;
This is the definition of TM in the TM Act
The important word here is “distinguish”
To distinguish goods and services between the owner of the TM and the products and services of others
– original purpose was to protect consumers so that consumers know where the product comes from and therefore safe for consumption
- evolved to protect manufacturer and owner – cases in which the brand is protected – the auto mfg Jaguer recently sued a luggage mfg for depreciation of goodwill
Certification mark – indicates that the good or service meets a certain standard - eg. woolmark, CSA, VQA
Distinguishing Guise – the shape of the products indicates its origin – eg. Coke bottle, Toberone chocolate bar
Example is Cnd trade-mark owned by Cdn business; and an US business with a similar mark tries to expand its market share into Canada. The U.S. business tries to register the name in Canada. The Canadian business didn’t register its TM in Canada. The two businesses are competing in the same region. Canadian business has to deal with consumer confusion.
12. (1) Subject to section 13, a trade-mark is registrable if it is not
(a) a word that is primarily merely the name or the surname of an individual who is living or has died within the preceding thirty years;
(b) whether depicted, written or sounded, either clearly descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive in the English or French language of the character or quality of the wares or services in association with which it is used or proposed to be used or of the conditions of or the persons employed in their production or of their place of origin;
(c) the name in any language of any of the wares or services in connection with which it is used or proposed to be used;
(d) confusing with a registered trade-mark;
(e) a mark of which the adoption is prohibited by section 9 or 10;
(f) a denomination the adoption of which is prohibited by section 10.1;
(g) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a wine not originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication;
(h) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a spirit not originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication; and
(i) subject to subsection 3(3) and paragraph 3(4)(a) of the Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, a mark the adoption of which is prohibited by subsection 3(1) of that Act.
Idem
(2) A trade-mark that is not registrable by reason of paragraph (1)(a) or (b) is registrable if it has been so used in Canada by the applicant or his predecessor in title as to have become distinctive at the date of filing an application for its registration.
12. (1) Subject to section 13, a trade-mark is registrable if it is not
(a) a word that is primarily merely the name or the surname of an individual who is living or has died within the preceding thirty years;
(b) whether depicted, written or sounded, either clearly descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive in the English or French language of the character or quality of the wares or services in association with which it is used or proposed to be used or of the conditions of or the persons employed in their production or of their place of origin;
(c) the name in any language of any of the wares or services in connection with which it is used or proposed to be used;
(d) confusing with a registered trade-mark;
(e) a mark of which the adoption is prohibited by section 9 or 10;
(f) a denomination the adoption of which is prohibited by section 10.1;
(g) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a wine not originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication;
(h) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a spirit not originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication; and
(i) subject to subsection 3(3) and paragraph 3(4)(a) of the Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, a mark the adoption of which is prohibited by subsection 3(1) of that Act.
Idem
(2) A trade-mark that is not registrable by reason of paragraph (1)(a) or (b) is registrable if it has been so used in Canada by the applicant or his predecessor in title as to have become distinctive at the date of filing an application for its registration.
Seek legal advise when choosing a trade mark.
12. (1) Subject to section 13, a trade-mark is registrable if it is not
(a) a word that is primarily merely the name or the surname of an individual who is living or has died within the preceding thirty years;
(b) whether depicted, written or sounded, either clearly descriptive or deceptively misdescriptive in the English or French language of the character or quality of the wares or services in association with which it is used or proposed to be used or of the conditions of or the persons employed in their production or of their place of origin;
(c) the name in any language of any of the wares or services in connection with which it is used or proposed to be used;
(d) confusing with a registered trade-mark;
(e) a mark of which the adoption is prohibited by section 9 or 10;
(f) a denomination the adoption of which is prohibited by section 10.1;
(g) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a wine not originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication;
(h) in whole or in part a protected geographical indication, where the trade-mark is to be registered in association with a spirit not originating in a territory indicated by the geographical indication; and
(i) subject to subsection 3(3) and paragraph 3(4)(a) of the Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act, a mark the adoption of which is prohibited by subsection 3(1) of that Act.
Idem
(2) A trade-mark that is not registrable by reason of paragraph (1)(a) or (b) is registrable if it has been so used in Canada by the applicant or his predecessor in title as to have become distinctive at the date of filing an application for its registration.
One of the important considerations is not only what your trade-mark represents today but in the future.
Interesting to note that other than sports related products, NIKE may go into the music downloading business.
REGISTRATION:
TMA576630
In the U.S. sound can also be claimed
Think about the Intel and Microsoft Windows
Now that we’ve identified different types of intangible assets and IP, how do we protect and exploit the assets for revenue?
Transfer or assignment or
License Agreement
Example of a License term
Non-exclusive (can grant the license to another party)
Non transferable
Revocable
Royalty free or license fee
Geographical region is United States
Use – software development focusing on micro payment services in retail