Avast Ye! Pirate Joe’s Wins the First Battle

Vancouver-based Pirate Joe’s and its owner, Michael Hallat, won a trademark infringement battle against specialty U.S. grocery giant Trader Joe’s, on October 2, 2013. Judge Marsha Pechman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds. Trader Joe’s operates a chain of over 400 stores in 30
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Protect Your Brand – Register Your Trade-marks, ASAP

Consider the goodwill value of your business – how much of that is tied to your brand, to your name? If you were to lose your brand tomorrow, would it hurt business? Would you be negatively affected if a competitor copied your name, slogan, or logo? If the answer is yes, you should consider filing
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Lazaro Cohiba Trademark Featured Image

Popular media references as evidence of trade-mark fame

The Federal Court recently found the wide-spread fame of the COHIBA trade-marks for cigars and cigarillos was sufficient to reject an application to register the trade-mark LAZARO COHIBA for rum. Tequila Cuervo (“Cuervo”) filed a trade-mark application in February of 1996, for the mark LAZARO COHIBA, in association with “alcoholic beverages, namely rum“, on the
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New changes to Canada’s Trade-marks Act

On March 28, 2014, the Canadian government proposed substantial amendments to its Trade-marks Act. The intention of these amendments is to bring Canadian trade-mark laws in-line with international trade-mark requirements. The first proposed change is with terminology. “Trade-mark” will become “trademark” and the term “wares” will be replaced with “goods”.  These changes will ensure more
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