The patent office has rejected Visa’s application to patent a token system for securing customer data, finding the process did not address a technical problem or provide a technical solution.
A GlaxoSmithKline unit has defeated Nova Pharmaceuticals’ bid to trade mark ‘Novadart’ for a generic version of the British company’s market-leading drug prostate drug ‘Avodart’, with a delegate finding the mark would cause consumer confusion.
US-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has succeeded in patenting a patient-specific method for developing cancer vaccines using genome sequencing.
IP Australia has rejected an Italian cheese lobby’s bid to block an American cheese maker from using a trade mark containing the word ‘asiago’, saying there was “very little evidence” Australians were aware of the cheese at all.
A Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments has lost its opposition to telecommunications provider Zoom’s bid to register its name as a trade mark, with a delegate finding consumer confusion was unlikely given the difference in the companies’ products.
Birkenstock has succeeded in securing trade mark protection for the shape of four of its shoes, a boon to the German shoe maker as it fights knock-offs of its popular sandals.
Fund manager Real Asset Management has appealed a ruling which upheld mortgage broker RAMS’ bid to block the registration of two RAM trade marks.
The Dietitians Association of Australia can’t register a logo featuring the words ‘accredited nutritionist’ as a trade mark, with a delegate agreeing with a competing nutritionist group that the association should not have a monopoly over the highly descriptive term.
The Iconic has defeated a challenge to the online fashion retailer’s application to trade mark ‘Considered’ for sustainable or ethically sourced products, with IP Australia rejecting Net-a-Porter’s argument that the label has not been used in the sense required under the Trade Marks Act.
Afterpay has failed to block fintech iSignthis from registering ‘Clearpay’ as a trade mark for its blockchain-based trading system, with an IP Australia delegate finding Afterpay had failed to prove it used ‘Clearpay’ for its buy now, pay later services outside of the UK.