 Social Media and Intellectual Property: What are the Issues?
(New Zealand) - The use of social media as a business tool is becoming the norm rather than the exception. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are just some of the websites used to promote businesses and products, as well as being excellent tools for interacting directly with customers and associates. But, there can be risks associated with publishing too much information online, particularly in relation to your intellectual property. What steps can you take to ensure that you are getting the best exposure possible without jeopardising your intellectual property? - BY JENNIFER LUCAS AND RACHEL DAWSON - (April, 2010) ... read more>>
 Trade Mark Protection - IPOL
(New Zealand) - Most people understand the value of registering ownership of their business’s IP rights, however the cost of registration can be off-putting. James & Wells Intellectual Property has launched IPOL - an innovative web based tool which enables New Zealand businesses to register their own trade marks and designs, and in the process greatly reduce the registration costs - (Jan, 2010) ... read more>>
 Ask Me About IP
(New Zealand) - Earlier this year, FINZ joined forces with James & Wells Intellectual Property to host "Ask Me About IP" - an intimate workshop where attendees were given the opportunity to put their fashion-related questions to IP lawyer Carrick Robinson. “Patents and design registrations for fashion are fairly uncommon. In the fashion sector, most companies tend to rely on copyright, which automatically exists in certain categories of original work at no cost. However, you do need to keep detailed design and development records [such as dated sketches and patterns], because the copyright is created in preparatory work, not the finished garment" - (Dec, 2009) ... read more>>
 Facebook Catches Brand Owners on the Hop
(New Zealand) - Facebook announced that users will, for the first time, be allowed to create a personalised username for their Facebook pages. This is all good and well, but this presents brand owners with a potential problem. In theory a Facebook user can incorporate someone’s brand name into their personalised Facebook username, without the brand owner’s permission - BY CARRICK ROBINSON - (June, 2009) ... read more>>
 Fashion IP FAQs
(New Zealand) - This month, our friends at James & Wells unveil some 'Fashion IP FAQs' to help you understand intellectual property issues a bit better. Q: "I plan to enter the Australian market with my brand, which is a registered trade mark here in New Zealand, but have noticed a small clothing retail store using the same name (it's based in a small provincial town). They also use the brand as their URL, but have not registered the trade mark. What do you advise regarding my attempts to obtain the trade mark in Australia?" - (March, 2009) ... read more>>
 There's No Time Like Now
(New Zealand) - Over the last few months, there has definitely been an increase in the number of people wanting to know how to protect this thing called “intellectual property”. Not all of these enquiries come from people new to business and just starting out. Often, we are contacted by owners of established businesses who, for whatever reason, simply have not got round to formally protecting what often is their most valuable asset - (February, 2009) ... read more>>
 Kookychoo and Jimmy Choo Trade Mark Dispute
(New Zealand) - James & Wells Intellectual Property is representing a local on-line seller in a trade mark dispute with luxury women’s footwear manufacturer Jimmy Choo. Looie James and Vaughan Stanley run an on-line business called Kookychoo, www.kookychoo.com, which sells a variety of gifts, such as bracelets and teddy bears, but not shoes - (January, 2009) ... read more>>
 Make Your Mark, Before Someone Else Does
(New Zealand) - Despite the potential value of trade marks and their pivotal role in the marketing of any product or service, it is surprising how frequently businesses adopt marks which are non-distinctive and hard to protect and/or fail to take the appropriate steps to own their marks. BY RACHEL DAWSON - (December, 2008) ... read more>>
 Are Patents The New 'Must Have' Fashion Accessory?
(New Zealand) - Although some might say imitation is the highest form of flattery, the fashion industry knows only too well how all-consuming allegations such as copyright or trade mark infringement can be. These often public disputes are evidence of how vigorously intellectual property rights are defended, reflecting how valuable and important these intangible assets are to many businesses. BY CARRICK ROBINSON AND NICOLA BESWICK - (November, 2008) ... read more>>
 The
AB Seize of Online Counterfeits
(New Zealand) - Catching the distributor of
counterfeit goods is a constant headache for the fashion industry. And, the
ability for a them to now reach an international audience online has only
widened the problem. Given the difficulty in locating the distributor behind
online counterfeits in an electronic world, a number of leading fashion names
(including Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Tiffany and Rolex) have brought cases against
eBay for the sale of counterfeit goods on its various sites, with varying
success - (September, 2008) ... read more>>
Reiss.Key
Business: Protecting Your Brand Internationally
(New Zealand) - Establishing a name for yourself
in the clothing industry can be a long, difficult and costly process. However,
if you haven’t registered your name as a trade mark or checked that the trade
mark is not already in use overseas; your battle may have only just begun. Reiss
(Holdings) Limited (RHL) found this out the hard way when it came to launch its
REISS clothing brand in New Zealand - (September, 2008) ... read more>>
 James & Wells Intellectual Property
James
& Wells Intellectual Property is delighted to continue its long association
with the fashion industry by becoming a sponsor of Fashion Industry New Zealand
(FINZ). "Intellectual property is often the most valuable, but least understood,
aspect of any successful business," says partner, Carrick Robinson, who heads
the firm's Auckland trade marks practice.
"We intend to be a direct contributor to New Zealand's prosperity, by
enabling our clients to realise the true value of their business. Our
partnership with FINZ will help us achieve that mission."
James & Wells Intellectual Property - giving your ideas a head start.
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