KASS | IP Experts

Intellectual Property

COVID-19: The pandemic affecting the IP world (and basically everything else)

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by Hoh Jerick

Where hope was once the prevalent state of mind when a new year rolled around, this year that notion was swiftly replaced in the hearts and minds of everyone around the world by worry and fear, as the world was introduced to the Coronavirus, now officially known as COVID-19. With no end in sight to this virus as yet, businesses and global economies have been severely impacted. Businesses struggling to keep afloat include those in the entertainment, travel, hospitality, sports, tech, construction and video game industries, and yes, even the world of Intellectual Property (IP) has been very much affected.

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Yeah, Yeah, Yeah… Lisa’s Trademarks in Your Area!!!

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By Saowanee Leewijitsin

Mention “Lisa Blackpink” or “Lalisa Manobal” and it would be almost impossible to find anyone in Thailand or any self-respecting K-Pop fan who has not heard of her, one of four members of K-Pop girl group “BLACKPINK”, which has 33.4 million subscribers on YouTube to date. Due to Blackpink’s success and her own shining performance (including her distinctive look), Lisa has become very popular and has fans around the world, as proven by her 29.7 million followers on Instagram, making her the most followed K-Pop idol. In addition, Lisa was ranked No.1 on the list of 100 Most Beautiful Faces in Asia 2019 by TC Candler.

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[Singapore Update] Trust but don’t open up BLINDLY!!!

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By Thein Thein Win

Navin Trading Pte Ltd Vs. Mahendra Naidu A/L R. Manogaran trading as Sri Sai Traders: Application for invalidation of trademark registration

Trademark infringements occur around the world because there’s so much competition in the market and it is not easy to build a new brand from scratch. For that reason, some people commercially exploit the interests of others by using shortcuts to save money, time and energy rather than investing the same into building a new brand.

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IoT FOR SMARTER LIVES

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By Jagannathan Arumugam

Internet of Things (IoT), in simple words, is a wide area network (WAN) connecting computing devices and other devices that typically would have no connection to the internet such as industrial machinery, kiosks, kitchen appliances, etc. Such a WAN enables data collection and device sharing to communicate and share data in real time to realise the unification of virtual and physical worlds.

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The Domino Effect, Reversed

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By Harley Rose

The case of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp & Anor v Hovid Bhd features a landmark decision made by the Federal Court of Malaysia on 21 August 2019. The issue brought to the Federal Court was whether the adjudication of an independent claim as invalid automatically renders claims which are dependent on that independent claim invalid, without the need for the court to consider separately the validity of each and every dependent claim.

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A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Faith Beginning

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By Sophie Sia

USA Pro IP Limited v Montfort Services Sdn Bhd [2018] SGIPOS 3 & 4

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” is a 13-book series detailing the turbulent lives of the Baudelaire children. After their parents perish in a sudden fire, the Baudelaires are placed in the custody of a murderous relative, Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance through a myriad of malicious schemes. One may liken the Baudelaire’s tumultuous journey to the process of overcoming threshold and evidentiary hurdles associated with a bad faith trademark opposition.

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Who owns Christmas?

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By Harley Rose

How trademarks have been used to capitalize on the most wonderful time of the year

It’s a holiday shared and celebrated by billions of people worldwide, religious or otherwise, so it would be an obvious assumption that nobody truly owns Christmas, right? Not exactly. Many companies have recognised the profitability of the merry season and have taken advantage of it by registering Christmas-themed trademarks.

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