by manuel.roche | Sep 29, 2017 | All, Trademarks
“Signs or names which may serve to designate a characteristic of the goods or services covered by the trade mark are devoid of any distinctive character; (…) It is irrelevant whether the characteristics of the goods or services which may be the subject of the...
by manuel.roche | Sep 22, 2017 | All, Trademarks
A non-profit association that revives a mark for cars and provides spare parts to collectors does not make a genuine use of such mark. This is what the Cour de cassation, the Highest civil Court in France, decided in a case dealing about the French mark for...
by manuel.roche | Aug 31, 2017 | All, Trademarks
Velib’ is a famous French brand for self-service bicycles that was launched by the City of Paris on 15 July 2007. It is very popular among tourists. Velib’ was the first of a kind and has been duplicated by many cities across the world since then. The offer was...
by manuel.roche | Aug 18, 2017 | All, Internet, Trademarks
Here is another case of a trademark being used as a keyword to trigger commercial results on Google search engine. The facts are not original. The court’s decision is not either. However, it is a good opportunity to remind where the French courts stand on the question...
by manuel.roche | Jul 31, 2017 | All, Copyright, Trademarks
The French Cour de cassation, the highest civil court in France, recently issued a decision about how a concept can be protected through intellectual property rights. It is interesting to study this decision to be reminded that, although it is not impossible,...
