Intellectual Property
By Saowanee Leewijitsin
With dance challenges ranging from “Mi Gente” to “Roxanne” and “Say So”, Chinese mobile phone application Douyin (aka TikTok) owned by Bytedance Ltd has rapidly risen in popularity among social media fans around the world. According to the latest update from leading mobile app market intelligence company Sensor Tower, TikTok was the most downloaded application worldwide on both Google Play and App Store in May of this year.
By Alisa Rajamalar
The whole world currently faces great uncertainty with an economic, social and political downturn resulting from the global pandemic wreaked by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). However, some parties are seizing personal and economic opportunities that come with the terms related to the virus. The million-dollar question here is: Can “COVID” and “CORONAVIRUS” or any related terms be registered as a trademark? If the answer to this question is affirmative, which entity would be able to claim commercial benefits from the mark?
By P. Kandiah and Geetha Kandiah
Moderna Inc., Sanofi, AstraZeneca plc, Roche, Gilead Sciences and Novartis are just some of the many pharmaceutical companies working to fast-track the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Many companies and research institutions from various countries are racing to develop the vaccine for COVID-19.
By Saowanee Leewijitsin
Over the past several months, the whole world has been experiencing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. This virus is not only capable of causing severe effects to our physical health and possibly drastic long-term changes to how we live and work, but also could cripple the world economy and the stock market. Many businesses around the world have to close their doors either temporarily or permanently because of the impact of this virus.
By P. Kandiah
At this period of economic hardship owing to the coronavirus pandemic, oil and gas downfall, and poor performance of the stock market, some companies may want to quit their business altogether, whilst other companies may see this as a golden opportunity to expand their business by acquiring technology or acquiring a company that has the desired technology.
By P. Kandiah
Did you know that as early as 23 July 2014, a patent application for coronavirus was filed?
This patent was filed in the UK and subsequently, a corresponding patent was granted in the US on 20 November 2018 under patent grant no. US 10,130701 B2. The Patentee of the US Patent is The Pirbright Institute, a British research institute located in Woking, England.
By Geetha Kandiah
It is, to a certain extent, apt that World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, which is celebrated on 26 April 2020, falls during the current challenging times that COVID-19 has brought upon our lives, community, and businesses. COVID-19 is not something someone wishes on their worst enemy – the loss of lives and the threat on businesses. Having said that, one must also stay positive and find silver linings in the storm before us. One just has to observe the two main positive highlights COVID-19 has brought about. They are very relevant to World IP Day.
By Harley Rose
It is a great time to stand out and be different. Thanks to our new Trademarks Act 2019, individuals and companies can now register “other source identifiers” as their trademarks, such as the shape of goods or their packaging, sound, scent, colour, holograms, positioning and sequence of motions. This is a marked development from the previous laws, which only allowed so-called “conventional” marks – consisting of letters, numbers, symbols and imagery – to be registered.
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.
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.