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Trademarks are the identity of businesses, brands and individuals. More and more, people and companies are relying on trademarks to protect their image, and maintain airtight branding. Whether you are a small trader or an international corporation, it is imperative that you understand the basics of trademarks, so that you don’t lose your own image, or […]
Half way through the year and the ACCC are definitely keeping active in the Franchise sector. Following on from our prior blog dealing with the ACCC’s infringement notice against the Domino’s Franchisor, the ACCC has since taken action against the Franchisor of Ultra Tunes and the Franchisor of Geowash. While both of these franchise systems are […]
Running a business is costly, not only in time but money and there are often unknown concerns that arise to challenge even the savviest entrepreneur. So, it will come as a relief to business owners to learn that they don’t need to pay high lawyer fees to manage the registration and processing of trademarks. In […]
Earlier this year in May, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (“ACCC”) issued its first infringement notices for alleged breaches under Australia’s updated Franchising Code of Conduct (“Code”) that resulted in civil penalties being paid by a Franchisor. What this means for Franchisors is that the ACCC are ready to take action, and under the […]
My clients have been calling me recently and emailing me FAKE trademark registration invoices from Africa, Budapest and Eastern Europe. They have also been emailed by Chinese trademark companies demanding payment for infringement or registration of their business name or services brand, the letter warning if they don’t pay they will lose their rights to […]
Recently more of our enquiries have been along the lines “I need help, I have just received a letter from a company saying they own a trademark and if I don’t cease to use our business name on our website and brochures, they want to take us to court as we are infringing on their […]
Over recent months, our firm has been dealing with clients who have attempted to trademark their brand themselves and have not been successful. In some cases, they were the cause of their disastrous attempt to obtain trademark protection. Of course you could read all about trademarks and the government IP body in each country is super […]
Many of our clients assume that they only require one trademark to protect their business brand. That is not always necessarily true, because when you apply for a trademark you need to identify the classes of protection you require for the word or the logo. In Australia and New Zealand, there are forty-five classes in […]
Trademarks can be considered a significant expense, especially for small businesses and start-ups. However, there is a good chance you could end up spending a lot more money if you don’t register them. Before we go any further, let’s just get clear on what a trademark is and why it is important. A registered trademark legally […]
In 2015 any debate as to whether there are obligations to act in Good Faith within the franchising industry ended with the Franchising Code of Conduct (the main law regulating franchising in Australia) expressly confirming Good Faith exists in franchising and cannot be excluded or limited. The obligation to act in Good Faith applies before, […]
