A Neat Year; Starbucks Wins Inward China

2005: a nifty yr for the IPKat

For those who dear statistics, the IPKat idea you lot mightiness similar to know that his weblog has had a bumper year. Visitors over the past times 3 years are every bit follows:

2003: 12,546
2004: 64,152
2005: 119,980

Also, past times the terminate of 2005, the IPKat's e-mail round out listing right away stands at 322 people.

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Left: Out inwards the mutual coldness - this truthful cat forgot to sign upwardly for the IPKat round out e-mail list


Coffee tastes best inwards mainland People's Republic of China cups

In a rare foray into intellectual holding issues, the BBC reports on Starbucks' victory inwards a long-running merchandise grade dispute inwards China. According to the report, a Shanghai courtroom has concluded that Chinese theater Xingbake infringed the U.S.A. firm's rights past times using a Chinese cite too logo similar to Starbucks. Shanghai Xingbake had been ordered to halt using its cite too to pay the U.S.A. retailer 500,000 yuan ($62,000) inwards damages.

Starbucks, who convey 300 outlets inwards mainland People's Republic of China too convey traded at that spot since 1999, purpose the cite Xingbake inwards China. In Chinese, 'Xing' agency 'star' spell 'bake' sounds similar 'bucks'. Xingbake said it registered its cite inwards 2000, earlier Starbucks had secured its merchandise grade inwards China. However, Starbucks said it registered its cite too logo inwards 1996 too claimed that the purpose of the Xingbake cite inwards Shanghai Xingbake's 38 Shanghai outlets violated its intellectual holding rights. The courtroom concluded that Xingbake's cite too logo was similar to Starbucks' too that the U.S.A. fellowship was entitled to convey the sole correct to purpose its cite inwards both English linguistic communication too Chinese.

Left: Call this a cat-puccino?

is delighted to encounter IP enforced both inwards honor of English linguistic communication merchandise marks too their Chinese transliterations too variations. The damages may look minor past times Western standards, but the regulation has been established too the upshot volition create a lot to boost confidence inwards Chinese merchandise marks. Merpel adds, but how much does having a Chinese merchandise grade terms inwards terms of policing too enforcement?

Starbucks fails against Charbucks here
The novel Drive-Thru Starbucks here
Chantico to go, here