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IC Class Headings exhaustive or exemplary Richard Ashmead

IC Class Headings exhaustive or exemplary Richard Ashmead. Your client’s COMPASS product range. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345   1000001 1 January 2001 (15) COMPASS All goods in class 15 Evil Empire Ltd,  20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?.

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IC Class Headings exhaustive or exemplary Richard Ashmead

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  1. IC Class Headingsexhaustive or exemplaryRichard Ashmead

  2. Your client’s COMPASSproduct range

  3. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345  1000001 1 January 2001 (15)COMPASS All goods in class 15Evil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?

  4. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345  1000002 1 January 2001 (15)COMPASS Musical instrumentsEvil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?

  5. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345  1000003 1 January 2001 (20)COMPASS All goods in class 20Evil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?

  6. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345  1000004 1 January 2001 (20)COMPASS Furniture, mirrors, picture frames; goods (not included in other classes) of wood, cork, reed, cane, wicker, horn, bone, ivory, whalebone, shell, amber, mother-of-pearl, meerschaum and substitutes for all these materials, or of plastics.Evil Empire Ltd Infringement?

  7. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345  1000006 1 January 2001 (21)COMPASS All goods in class 21Evil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?

  8. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345  1000007 1 January 2001 (21)COMPASS Household or kitchen utensils and containers; combs and sponges; brushes (except paint brushes); brush-making materials; articles for cleaning purposes; steelwool; unworked or semi-worked glass (except glass used in building); glassware, porcelain and earthenware not included in other classes. Evil Empire LtdInfringement?

  9. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345 1000007 1 January 2001 (21) COMPASS All goods in class 9 Evil Empire Ltd,  20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?

  10. Trade Marks Journal No. 2345 1000007 1 January 2001 (21) COMPASS Calculating machines, data processing equipment and computers Evil Empire Ltd,  20 Red Lion Street, London Infringement?

  11. Class headingsv.“All goods in class XX”

  12. Class headings: • WIPO – Nice – “IC” • Classes 1-45 • Universal standard • Administrative only?

  13. The Nice Agreement (1957) Establishes a classification of goods and services for the purposes of registering trade marks with 45 class headings: • to “….. indicate in a general manner the fields to which the goods and services in principle belong”, • …analogous goods and goods of function or purpose close to the rest of the class.

  14. IC class headings: Guide to pigeon holes for: • The class-heading list of goods • Species within class-heading genus and • “Extra-class-heading goods”

  15. “All goods in class 15” or “Musical instruments” Percussion Brass Woodwind String “Extra-class-heading goods” eg music stands and conductors batons

  16. Application lists/specifications • “All goods in class XX” • Class heading, or • Tailored terms but “TLT” requires a • “list of the goods and/or services for which the registration is sought”

  17. “All goods in class XX” and The class XX heading Are they TLT-compliant lists?

  18. 1000001 1 January 2001 (15)COMPASS All goods in class 15Evil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London 1000002 1 January 2001 (15)COMPASS Musical instrumentsEvil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London Infringed by COMPASS music stands on “means-what-it-says” and/or “class-heading-covers-all”approaches?

  19. “Musical instruments” “means-what-it-says” --- “class-heading-covers-all” Percussion Percussion Brass Brass Woodwind Woodwind X String Music stands String Music stands

  20. UK IPO and OHIM 2003 Official Guidance-s • UK IPO believes in “means-what-it-says” • “Manual of trade marks practice”and “COVENT GARDEN” • OHIM is for “class-heading-covers-all” • OHIM 2003 Presidential Communication No. 4/03 and “DIESELIT”

  21. OHIM 2003 Presidential Communication No. 4/03 - 1 “The 34 classes for goods and the 11 classes for services comprise the totality of all goods and services. As a consequence of this the use of all the general indications listed in the class heading of a particular class constitutes a claim to all the goods or services falling within this particular class”

  22. OHIM 2003 Presidential Communication No. 4/03 -2 For example, "computer software" is classified in cl. 9 because of the presence of the general indication "data processing equipment and computers" in that class, because computer software is seen as directly related to the corresponding apparatus or equipment”.

  23. Why does this matter? • Infringement cascade • Identical ….similar…..dissimilar goods • The greater the difference between the goods, the greater the burden on the proprietor to prove infringement

  24. Computer software seen by OHIM as directly relatedto "data processing equipment and computers” • Are computers and software identical? • NO • Are computers and software similar? • SOMETIMES, SO EVIDENCE NEEDED • Are they “directly related” and therefore identical • PROBABLY “DIRECTLY RELATED”, AND SO IDENTICAL?? Infringement?

  25. Identical ←EQUAL → ←NOT EQUAL → Goods ← ???→ Similar Directly related

  26. ..and for non-use? 1000008 1 January 2001 ()COMPASS Calculating machines, data processing equipment and computersEvil Empire Ltd, 20 Red Lion Street, London COMPASS used for software only • As similar goods cancellation results • As “directly related” it survives for “software”! [See PREMINET]

  27. The case law: • COVENT GARDEN – UK IPO opposition • PREMINET – OHIM cancellation • DIESELIT – CFI opposition appeal • DEM(CO) – OHIM opposition appeal and perhaps • Sieckmann – ECJ registrability

  28. DEM v. DEMCO(OHIM opposition appeal) Refers to 4/03: “The effect of this use of a class heading was confirmed by the Court of First Instance ….[in DIESELIT]” and concludes the [respective] services identical “since use of the class heading for that mark embraces all services pertaining to that class”

  29. DIESELIT v. and 4/03 • Binding precedent? • Obiter dicta • Accepted “rule” • Other post-harmonisation support for it as a “rule”? • Harmonisation Directive requirements? ….questions not answers!

  30. …and then it gets worse(!)with “Sub-class headings”

  31. “Sub-class-headings” • Parts of IC class headings • “General indications” in 4/03 • “directly related” Applies the same interpretative view to: • an IC class heading present in its entirety, and • the use of words or terms from a class heading

  32. Fullest possible significance:each word or term in an IC class heading covers, as identical goods, any goods “directly related” to it…... unless they are similar!!!Oh dear!

  33. The Secret code“Class-heading-covers-all” and “directly related” • conceal within something called a “list of goods or services” a meaning not apparent unless you know the secret code and • re-writes the statutory definition of infringement Invisible protection

  34. The ECJ and Sieckmann • Precise identification is required for the sound operation of the trade mark registration system so users • can determine the precise nature of [a mark] on the basis of its registration which must be • “clear, precise, self-contained, easily accessible, intelligible, durable and objective”

  35. Mark and goods/services?

  36. A use for Sieckmann?? What price DIESELIT and 4/03 now?

  37. Thank you for your attention

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