Sinful Merchandise Marks; Troublesome Copyright

Bulge battlers exercise battle

The Daily Telegraph reports that 2 dieting companies are having a merchandise grade tiff. Sin & Slim is applying to register SIN & SLIM equally a merchandise mark, but the application is beingness opposed past times Slimming World. The latter fellowship designated foods which tin exclusively last eaten inwards limited amounts equally “sins”, though latterly it has changed the speling to “syns”. Slimming World is claiming that it has rights inwards the term SIN thank yous to 35 years of purpose (and maybe a registered merchandise mark, though the article’s non clear on this point). Said Slimming Word:

"Since they [Sin & Slim] convey attempted to register the elevate equally a trademark they should non last surprised nor nether whatever illusion that whatever organisation that has built upwards years of goodwill inwards a trademark would non hold back to protect it when necessary".

The master sinful foodstuff

says that SIN has to last the ultimate illustration of an immoral merchandise grade and, equally nosotros all know, immoral merchandise marks are non registrable.

9/11 Photo Copyright

The New York Daily News reports on a copyright tilt concerning publicly funded pictures of the 9/11 clean-up operation. Photographer Gregg Brown was paid $300,000 to document the aftermath of the terrorist attack, but no contract concerning ownership of the copyright inwards the photographs was e'er signed. Brown refused to sign papers granting the copyright to the City of New York, but he was allowed continued access to NYPD helicopters, from which he filmed, until May 2002. Later inwards 2002, he registered his photographs in addition to video footage with the USA Copyright Office. He similar a shot says that his written permission is needed earlier the photographs tin last used. He has caused appal with the families of 9/11 survivors past times including footage inwards a documentary named ‘Words”, which features topless women in addition to naked men.

reckons that this is sure as shooting a instance inwards which it would last justified to imply a contractual assignment of the copyright into the contract to give it trouble organisation efficacy. As an ideal province of affairs though, it’s best to assort things out expressly in addition to contractually beforehand, though the IPKat tin empathise why, inwards this case, this may convey been overlooked.