Ed Heerey

The maker of Finish dishwashing products, RB Hygiene, has won a partial appeal in a trade mark stoush with rival Henkel, with the Full Court reviving two of its trade marks but rejecting its challenge to a logo for competing Somat-branded products.

Finish detergent maker Reckitt Benckiser has thrown the latest punch in a long-running grudge match against rival Proctor & Gamble, with RB challenging a ruling that it made misleading claims about its popular dishwashing product.

Australian beverage company Bickfords, which makes ‘Real McCoy’ whiskey mixed drinks, has successfully opposed rival drink maker Frucor Suntory’s bid to trade mark the same name for a fruit juice product, with an IP Australia delegate finding the beverages were similar.

Sydney real estate group The Agency has lost an appeal in its trade mark case against a rival, with the Full Federal Court upholding a finding that the company would have an “unwarranted monopoly” if other businesses were barred from using the descriptive words in its name.

Vittoria’s Cantarella Bros has lodged an appeal in a long-running trade mark stoush with Italian rival Lavazza after a judge found the coffee manufacturer’s two registered ‘Oro’ marks should be cancelled because the word was previously used by another coffee supplier. 

KFC has failed to block Grill’d’s HFC trade mark, with a judge finding the marks are not deceptively similar and that Grill’d did not act in bad faith despite parodying the fast food giant in advertising for its ‘Healthy Fried Chicken’ products. 

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Australia made misleading statements that its Fairy ‘30 Minute Miracle’ dishwashing tablet was better at cleaning than Reckitt Benckiser’s Finish Platinum Plus, but both companies made false claims about their products, a judge has found.

Vittoria’s Cantarella Bros has lost its long-running trade mark stoush with Italian rival Lavazza after a judge found the coffee manufacturer’s two registered ‘Oro’ marks should be cancelled because the word was previously used by another coffee supplier. 

Seven Network has appealed a ruling that revoked its 7NOW trade mark for non-use in a victory for convenience chain 7-Eleven as it seeks to expand its presence in Australia.

Consumer goods giants Proctor & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser have been urged by a court not to bury their dispute over marketing of a dishwashing tablet product under a mountain of competing performance tests.