KASS | IP Experts

Intellectual Property

When “WHAL” goes worldwide….

by

By Saowanee Leewijitsin

The long battle with COVID-19 does not seem to be ending soon. Millions around the world are currently unemployed and have lost their jobs since the pandemic started. Online sales naturally became the top choice for people to make money after being unemployed. Many turned themselves into “online sellers” by importing interesting products from overseas and reselling them in their countries. Even if those products are genuine, the frequently asked question is, “can we legally resell them?” – particularly, in circumstances where those products are protected under Intellectual Property (IP) Laws but are resold without the permission of the IP owners.

[Read more…]

Has COVID-19 Affected IP Filings in Indonesia?

by

By Carola Monintja

Most people, regardless of nationality, skin colour, religion, or even political views, will agree that this year, 2020, or the year of the metal rat, has been the most challenging year in decades.

As we already know, the root of the difficulties we face today initially reared its head somewhere in Wuhan, China, around the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, in the form of a submicroscopic infectious agent, better known as a virus. The exact source of this virus, later dubbed COVID-19, is still debatable, as experts continue to discover new findings related to the origin of the virus.

[Read more…]

Photographers vs Celebrities: Do Celebs Need Permission To Post Photos of Themselves on Social Media?

by

By Thein Thein Win

Copyright protects the legal right of original creators to publish, reproduce, or sell their literary and artistic works. Others who intend to reproduce those works need to get permission from the owners.

The great thing about copyright over other IP rights is that it is not compulsory to register to get protection and the owners can automatically acquire legal protection under the copyright law upon creation, or expression of the artistic or literary work in a tangible medium.

[Read more…]

Describing the specifications of goods or services for Trademark Registration in Thailand is much more important than you think

by

By Saowanee Leewijitsin

One of the significant requirements for filing an application for trademark registration in Thailand is that the applicant must clearly specify the list of goods or services for which the protection is sought. From the author’s experience, it seems that many entrepreneurs do not recognize the importance of describing the specifications of goods or services submitted for the trademark registration. We, therefore, often find many entrepreneurs, startup companies or SMEs who register their marks with only one or two items of goods or services, despite providing other goods or services under the same marks. This likely occurs because most entrepreneurs are unaware of the consequences of incomprehensive description of specifications of goods or services, which is similar marks may be registered by third parties if the applied goods or services are different.

[Read more…]

[An Indonesian Slice of Life] MRT Jakarta

by

By Hapsari Dwi Astuti 

Headache or stressed due to the bad traffic in Jakarta? Jakarta, a city of roughly 10 million people, has long been known for its terrible traffic jams. But for those who live in the vicinity of South Jakarta and Central Jakarta, the Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit (or MRT Jakarta) that was introduced in 2019 has relieved some of the burden, as a much anticipated and efficient mode of transportation.

[Read more…]

Another “Chicken War” Story from Indonesia

by

By Carla Monintja

Indonesians love chicken. Delicious traditional or fusion chicken dishes can be found easily and everywhere in Indonesia. Many of these dishes are very affordable so everyone can enjoy them. Interestingly, even fast-food giant McDonald’s has claimed that sales of its fried chicken exceeded its burger sales in Indonesia.

Indeed, the popularity of chicken dishes among Indonesians is a good business indicator for entrepreneurs considering getting into the F&B business in Indonesia.

[Read more…]

The sweet flavour of Chupa Chups’ success

by

By Saowanee Leewijitsin

“Stop smoking, start sucking” is a well-known slogan of “Chupa Chups”, a popular lollipop and confectionery brand originally founded by Enric Bernat in 1958 and presently owned by Perfetti Van Melle S.p.A.

The trademark “Chupa Chups” has been used and registered in many countries around the world. In Thailand, however, Enrique Bernat F., S.A. (the former owner) discovered that similar marks (as shown below right) had been filed for “Candy”, in class 30 by Thai company, European Food Public Co., Ltd., which is also in the confectionery and snack industry.

[Read more…]

Let’s make functional foods fully functioning!

by

By Tharishini Manalan

First you look at it, next you smell it and then you take a bite of it. For centuries, consumers have picked their food based on how good the food looks, smells and tastes. In recent times, in addition to these criteria, consumers have become more and more concerned about their own health when it comes to choosing their food due to the growing awareness on the correlation between health and diet. As we entered the 21st century, health conscious consumerism quickly became the new trendsetter which spread across the whole world.

[Read more…]

#IPChallenge(s) from TikTok

by

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.

[Read more…]