From Messi to Banksy
Registering a trademark is often the first step when entering the market, undertaken by small and big enterprises, as well as “average joes” and superstars. Whether the trademark registration will succeed, however, is not dependent only on the characteristics of the sign or a word to be registered, but sometimes also on the applicant’s special characteristics, such as e.g. extreme fame or their anonymity.
The question of how the applicant’s fame and anonymity can affect trademark protection was discussed by Timotej Kotnik Jesih through the analysis of recent cases involving the footballer Lionel Messi and Banksy, the street artist. His article “From Messi to Banksy: how fame and anonymity of trademark applicants affect trademark protection” was published in Pravna praksa (pp. 14-15) on 15 October 2020.
The article in its entirety (in Slovene) is accessible here.
The Grand Board of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) finally ruled that the figurative sign ‘COVIDIOT’ cannot be registered as an EU trademark.
The 4th Open Knowledge Day took place on Tuesday 17 October 2023, with an accompanying workshop on 18 October 2023. This year it was organised by the Open Data and Intellectual Property Institute (ODIPI) and supported by Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21).
We invite you to the fourth Open Knowledge Day and the workshop, which will take place this year within the framework of the programme and with the support of Knowledge Rights 21. The event will bring together experts from different European countries to discuss two topics: the first part will deal with the legal basis for data analytics, which is a key part of machine learning and related artificial intelligence, and the general exception for research. In the second part, open science in theory and practice will be presented both in Slovenia and in some Western Balkan countries. Representatives of research and educational institutions from Slovenia and the Western Balkan countries, as well as interested members of the public, are invited to attend.
Dr. Maja Bogataj Jančič, a renowned expert in copyright law, has joined the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, where she will serve as an affiliate researcher for the next two years.