Newsletters

A Compendium of TM Matters in Malaysia

It is commonly known that businesses and companies often undertake brand investment in order to increase their market share, which in turn will further enhance their reputation and goodwill. What is lesser known perhaps is that brand investment has the…

Changes to Singapore Registered Design Law

Legislative changes to Singapore’s registered designs law were made by the enforcement of the Registered Designs (Amendment) Act 2017 (“RDAA 2017”) on 30 October 2017. The salient changes are as follows: (I) BROADENING SCOPE OF REGISTRABLE DESIGNSScope of registrable designs…

10 Things You Need to Know about the Malaysian Patent Grant Process

The processes for allowance and grant of patents in Malaysia differ significantly from those in many other jurisdictions. They are a common source of confusion and uncertainty. So, here are ten pointers that should help clarify the local practice. 1.…

Balancing Patents and Trade Secrets – Getting the best of both worlds

Patents and trade secrets seem like opposite sides of a scale. Trade secrets derive their legal protection from their inherently secretive nature whereas patents can only be protected through disclosure of the invention – the specification in a patent application…

Issues Revolving Around Parallel Imports

What are parallel imports? The court in Tien Ying Hong Enterprise Sdn Bhd v Beenion Sdn Bhd [2010] 8 MLJ 550 stated that parallel imports refer to goods, which are lawfully manufactured overseas but imported and distributed in Malaysia by a person…

Caesar ≈ Caesarstone?

In the case of Ceramiche Caesar Spa v Caesarstone Sdot-Yam Ltd [2017] SGCA 30, the Singapore Court of Appeal had to consider, inter alia, whether Caesarstone Sdot-Yam Ltd.’s (“Caesarstone”) trademark “CAESARSTONE” in Class 19 was similar to Ceramiche Caesar SpA’s…