Since 24 November 2014, OHIM (the European trade mark office, which registers Community trade marks) offers applicants the possibility to have their Community trade mark applications published more quickly, thanks to the Fast Track examination.
Social media has become an integral part of marketing strategy for consumer products, with many phrases, straplines and brands being devised specifically for targeted campaigns and used with a hashtag.
A hashtag is simply a way for people to search for conversations on Twitter relating to a particular topic. Brand owners who want to generate a buzz on Twitter around their brand can run a campaign for people to use a particular hashtag when discussing their product or business, making it possible for clever marketers to use phrases or words as part of a particular campaign. But in a highly competitive world how does a brand owner protect the effort put into such campaign branding? And, if they protect it, how do they control it?
In recent years Non-Practising Entities (NPE’s) have grown significantly with one particular type – the Patent Troll - receiving a lot of notoriety in the media. But what exactly are NPE’s and how do you ensure your patent strategy is best placed to protect you against these patent trolls?