A single alphabet letter mark may face a bigger challenge in some jurisdictions than others. Take the example of Prince Sports International Company Ltd.’s stylized letter “P”. The Korean Trademark Act prevents registration of “a trademark that consists solely of a simple and common mark” under Article 33(1)(6). Prince Sports International Company Ltd., a Hong Kong-based company that manufactures sports goods, sought to register “P” as its trademark for jewelry, computers, online shopping mall businesses, etc. in Korea. It had already registered the same mark in the United States, Australia, and China, among other countries. In the United States, it is registered as Prince Sports, Inc.’s stylized word mark for tennis rackets. However, the Korean IP Office (KIPO) examiner rejected the application under the Korean Trademark Act, Article 33(1)(6)(a trademark that consists solely of a simple and common mark may not be registered) and Article 33(1) (7)(nondistinctive trademarks that do not serve as a source identifier for other reasons are also unregistrable).
Recent Posts
- The Impact of Price Controls and Biologics on the Future of U.S. Pharmaceutical Innovation and Investment
- Other Barks & Bites for Friday, June 6: UK House of Lords Insists on Copyright Transparency in AI Bill; OpenAI Vows to Appeal New York Times Ruling; and Stewart Sua Sponte Orders Review of PTAB Win for TikTok
- Squires’ Responses to Senate Judiciary Committee Focus on Balance, Backlog and ‘Born Strong’ Patents
- USPTO Study into Applications with Large Patent Families Raises Questions
- Agency’s Acting Deputy Director Says It’s Back to Basics for the USPTO