Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Chocolate, Fashion, Toys And Cabs: The Misunderstood Distinctiveness Of Non-Traditional Trademarks, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

Editorial Excerpt:

What do Cadbury, Toblerone and Kit-Kat chocolates, the Rubik’s Cube and Lego mini-figurine toys, Louboutin shoes, Bottega Veneta bags and London Taxi Company cabs all have in common? These products have been, along with several others, protagonists of the rising trend of registering shapes and other non-traditional trademarks in a variety of countries, and then, in several cases, protagonist of ensuing litigation addressing the validity of these marks. To a large extent, the review panels and the courts involved in these cases have declared several of these marks invalid or have reduced their scope considerably. Hence, these cases …

Geographical Indications Between Trade, Development, Culture, And Marketing: Framing A Fair(Er) System Of Protection In The Global Economy?, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

This chapter analyzes some of the topics on the current debate involving geographical indications (GIs) of origin that will be further elaborated by the contributors to this volume from a variety of perspectives and angles. As the title indicates, this volume focuses on GI protection “at the crossroads of trade, development, and culture,” with a specific focus on the countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This choice is due primarily to the fact that the analysis of issues related to GI protection in this region is, to date, not as extensive as the analysis in other regions, particularly in the Western …

Socio-Economic Aspects Of Geographical Indications, Irene Calboli, Daniel J. Gervais

Irene Calboli

Proposed Secondary Liability Regimes For Trademark Infringement Online: Commentary, Irene Calboli, Jane Ginsburg, Amy Cotton, Bob Weigel, Bruce Rich, Miguel Peguera

Irene Calboli

No abstract provided.

Betty Boop And The Return Of Aesthetic Functionality: A Bitter Medicine Against "Mutant Copyrights"?, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

This article offers a brief overview of the history and developments of the doctrine of aesthetic functionality in the United States and examines the recent decisions in Fleischer Studios, Inc v AVELA, Inc . In particular, the article argues that the courts in Fleischer added an important element to the interpretation of the doctrine, namely the fact that the courts seemed willing to resort to aesthetic functionality to counter the consequences resulting from the practice of using trade mark law as an additional form of protection for copyrighted, or once copyrighted, creative works.

In Territorio Veritas? Bringing Geographical Coherence Into The Ambiguous Definition Of Geographical Indications Of Origin, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

In this article, I touch upon a topic that remains highly controversial in international intellectual property law—the legal protection of geographical indications of origin (GIs): Chianti wine, Champagne sparkling wine, Gorgonzola cheese, Parma ham, Darjeeling tea, Colombian coffee, and other terms that indicate (or are supposed to indicate, as I will develop in this article) the geographical origin of the products they identify. In line with the theme of this special issue of the WIPO Journal, I focus on the requirement of “geographical origin” upon which the protection of GIs has been historically built and is generally justified. In particular, …

Overlapping Copyright And Trademark Protection: A Call For Concern And Action, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

In this Article, I tackle a controversial topic-the overlapping trademark and copyright protection that can apply to creative works such as fictional characters, pictures, video clips, and songs. In particular, I highlight the possible negative consequences that granting trademark protection to these works-concurrently or after the expiration of copyright protection- can have on the societal bargain upon which copyright protection is built and justified. To date, scholars have only limitedly addressed these consequences, and more academic attention is needed in this area. In contrast, the advantages of trademark rights in creative works (in their entirety or in separated features of …

Recent Developments In The Law Of Comparative Advertising In Italy – Towards An Effective Enforcement Of The Principles Of Directive 97/55/Ec Under The New Regime?, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

On February 25, 2000, the Italian Government adopted Legislative Decree No. 67, which enacted Directive 97/55/EC amending Directive 84/450/EEC concerning misleading advertising, so as to include comparative advertising. Contrary to what one could have expected in a country that has traditionally banned comparison in advertisements, Italy was one of the first among the Member States to implement Directive 97/55/EC. In order to allow consistent enforcement practices, however, the adoption of the new law must be followed by a profound change in the ways Italian courts and legal operators have approaches this issue so far. This Article explores this issue and …

International Intellectual Property Scholars Series: Reviewing The (Shrinking) Principle Of Trademark Exhaustion In The European Union (Ten Years Later), Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

Ten years ago, I published an article in the Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review titled “Trademark Exhaustion in the European Union: Community-Wide or International? The Saga Continues.” In that article, I described the development of the principle of trademark exhaustion in the European Union (EU) and analyzed the interplay among trademark protection, trademark territoriality, and the treatment of the parallel importation of gray market products—unauthorized genuine goods imported from foreign countries—under Article 7 of the Trademark Directive (Article 7). In this Essay, I continue to explore, ten years after my 2002 article, the development of the principle of trademark exhaustion …

The Sunset Of "Quality Control" In Modern Trademark Licensing, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

Historically, based on the premise that trademark protection is about consumer welfare, trademark law has allowed trademark licensing only as long as licensors control the quality of the products bearing the licensed marks. Ever since its adoption, however, this rule has been difficult to enforce because it hinges on a concept that is ambiguous and difficult to frame in a legal context: quality control. Unsurprisingly, the consequence has been inconsistent case law and much uncertainty as to what represents valid licensing. In addition, in the past decades, courts have proven increasingly reticent to strictly apply this rule and have declared …

International Intellectual Property Scholars Series: Reviewing The (Shrinking) Principle Of Trademark Exhaustion In The European Union (Ten Years Later), Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

Ten years ago, I published an article in the Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review titled “Trademark Exhaustion in the European Union: Community-Wide or International? The Saga Continues.” In that article, I described the development of the principle of trademark exhaustion in the European Union (EU) and analyzed the interplay among trademark protection, trademark territoriality, and the treatment of the parallel importation of gray market products—unauthorized genuine goods imported from foreign countries—under Article 7 of the Trademark Directive (Article 7). In this Essay, I continue to explore, ten years after my 2002 article, the development of the principle of trademark exhaustion …

Trademark Exhaustion In The European Union: Community-Wide Or International? The Saga Continues, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

Dr. Calboli discusses trademark exhaustion in the European Union. She proposes an international exhaustion standard to replace the community-wide exhaustion standard. In an international system, a trademark owner would exhaust his rights in other national jurisdictions when trademarked goods are placed on the market in any national jurisdiction where the trademark owner enjoys protection. Accordingly, the trademark owner will not be free to prevent international importation of genuine products bearing his trademark. Dr. Calboli describes the development of the community-wide exhaustion standard and its interpretative problems as part of the Trademark Directive. She then proposes changing to an international exhaustion …

Expanding The Protection Of Geographical Indications Of Origin Under Trips: "Old" Debate Or "New" Opportunity?, Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

This work briefly analyzes the issue of (geographical indications of origin) GI protection pre- and post-TRIPs and considers whether extension of the protection set forth by TRIPs is desirable for the international community. First, the work provides a brief overview of GI, the traditional rationale for their protection, and the protection granted thereof before the adoption of TRIPs. Next, the analysis turns to a description of the status of the law under TRIPs and the failed diplomatic agenda to expand the current protection. The recent developments on the debate on GI are explored, particularly for wine and spirits, with an …

Reviewing The (Shrinking) Principle Of Trademark Exhaustion In The European Union (Ten Years Later), Irene Calboli

Irene Calboli

No abstract provided.