Monthly Archive for May, 2009

The number of international trademark registrations topped the one million mark when Austrian eco company Grune Erde, which specializes in natural wood, textile and cosmetic products, registered its mark this month under the WIPO administered Madrid system for the international registration of marks.

Trademark registrations often mirror evolving consumer tastes as companies work to strengthen their market position. In this case, the millionth trademark registration is a green brand, reflecting a growing environmental awareness among the general public and the business community.

Trademarks and the branding efforts they support help consumers make informed choices about the products they buy, said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. They are extremely valuable commercial assets. WIPO international trademark registration system is a cost effective, user friendly and streamlined means by which businesses operating internationally can protect and manage their trademark portfolio.

Grune Erde founder and Managing Director Reinhard Kepplinger said the company is delighted to be registered as the millionth international trademark. We have found that the Madrid system offers an easy and inexpensive way for our company to register its trademark internationally, he said.

Kepplinger added that Grune Erde, which employs more than 300 people, is tangible proof that it is possible to create an ecologically aware company that is highly successful within the marketplace. The company produces and sells a range of some 5000 products made from natural materials including furniture, textiles and cosmetics.

The increasingly rapid growth of the Madrid system over the last two decades reflects the increased internationalization of trade and broader recognition of the commercial importance of trademarks. After the first international trademark was registered in 1893 by Swiss Chocolate maker Russ Suchard & Company, it took some 93 years to reach the 500,000th mark, registered in 1986 by Sandoz AG of Switzerland (now owned by BASF SE of Germany).

The 750,000th mark was registered 15 years later in 2001 by microTec Gesellschaft fr Mikrotechnologie mbH of Germany. The 900,000th international trademark was registered five years later in 2006 by a Chinese company, Chaozhou Fengxi Jinbaichuan Porcelain Crafts Factory, with the millionth mark registered just three years later.

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) released on April 30, 2009 its annual Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection by US trading partners, according to a press release by the Office.

Most important developments mentioned in this years Special 301 Report include the following:

Canada is being elevated to the Priority Watch List for the first time, reflecting increasing concern about the continuing need for copyright reform, as well as continuing concern about weak border enforcement.

USTR is also elevating Algeria and Indonesia to the Priority Watch List.

Korea is being removed from the Watch List in recognition of the significant improvements it has made during the past year, and the Korean Governments policy direction of continuing to place a priority on improving its IPR regime.

Again this year, USTRs Special 301 Report highlights the prominence of IPR concerns with respect to China and Russia, despite some evidence of improvement in both countries.

USTR announced that it would maintain pressure on China by including it on the Priority Watch List.

The Administration also continues to seek improvements to the intellectual property regime in Russia.

Of the 77 trading partners the USTR reviewed this year, 46 of them were placed on the Priority Watch List, Watch List, or the Section 306 monitoring list.

Twelve (12) countries are included in the Priority Watch List of this year: China, Russia, Algeria, Argentina, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, Thailand, and Venezuela. Priority Watch List countries will be the subject of particularly intense engagement through bilateral discussion during the coming year.

Additionally, there are thirty three trading partners placed on the lowest level of the Watch List: Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Paraguay will remain being monitored under Section 306, which establishes objectives and actions for addressing IPR concerns in that country.

Finally, the Administration will conduct Out of Cycle Reviews for Fiji, Israel, the Philippines, Poland, and Saudi Arabia to monitor progress on specific IPR issues.