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In a precedential decision, the District Court of Tel Aviv – Yaffo in Israel has ruled that the title of a book may be registered as a trademark. This is the first time that an Israeli court addressed the issue of the registrability of the name of a literary work as a trademark and established the line between the protection granted by copyrights and trademarks.

The reform of the European Union trademark system entered in force on March 23, 2016. Here are the 13 essential points to remember about the implemented changes.

For the first time in Israel, the Registrar rendered a decision concerning the registrability of a building design as a trademark.

It is well-known that colours have a significant importance in branding and the perception a consumer will have of a trademark. Colours are commonly used in the most successful brands for improving identification of products with their source, assisting the consumer in making a clear distinction between such products and those of others.

In Israel, the submission of a co-existence agreement is not always sufficient in order to allow the registration of two similar trademarks in the registry.

The new gTLD program, which was launched by the ICANN in June 2011, opened the opportunity to apply for new top level Internet domain names.

In Israel, three-dimensional marks which consist of product shapes are accepted for registration only in exceptional cases. The Registrar usually considers that the appropriate way to protect three-dimensional marks is to file an application for registration of a design.

The Nice international classification of goods and services (10th Edition), which applies to European Community (CTM) trademarks, includes class headings definitions providing a general description of the fields of goods or services in the 45 existing classes as well as an alphabetical list of all the goods or services covered by these classes.

In Israel, when applications for similar trademarks are filed, in relation to similar products or services, contentious proceedings are opened between the rival applications. In such a case, the options are either to file counter-arguments, to try to reach an agreement with the other party or to proceed contentiously so that the Registrar would determine which mark should prevail.

Substantial amendments to the Chinese Trademark Law were adopted on August 30, 2013 and will take effect on May 1, 2014.

The Finnish company ENSTO OY filed an opposition against the registration of the stylized trademark ONESTO in relation to various electricity products in class 9 by the Chinese company Yueqing Onesto Electric Co., Ltd.