Book an appointment with us, or search the directory to find the right lawyer for you directly through the app.
Find out moreWe are excited to share the latest edition of the Law Update, beautifully and appropriately titled “Sustainable Horizons: The Saudi Arabian Vision.” Giving special honor to the Kingdom’s 2030 vision, this update focuses on a collection of both informative and inspiring articles.
For those in construction, you can learn about how the tendering environment impacts risk-pricing for contractors, the updates on the legal framework of the construction industry and how contractors can protect themselves against financial difficulties.
There is good news too from the kingdom’s banking sector, from which the practice of “Open Banking” is being pushed for! But what is open banking? We’re answering that too.
Also . . . Are there any women trail blazers in Saudi Arabia you can name? We’ll help you with that. We cover how the Middle East has been making strides in empowering women in the entrepreneurial space,most notably in STEM fields.
Read the full editionSeptember 2013
What
Trade Mark Cancellation Action
Who
The Complainant, Caterpillar, is a MNC with a stellar reputation built in heavy equipment and construction.
The Respondent is the registrant of Trade Mark Registration No. 85220 in Class 3 for Cat Wax in relation to “shoe cream, shoe accessories and shoe wax” (“the Registration”).
Why
CAT is the Complainant’s house mark, which it has cultivated over decades to become a household name in heavy equipment and construction machinery. The Complainant enjoys substantial goodwill and reputation in its CAT mark.
The Registration is unauthorised and detrimental to the Complainant as its registration is likely to create confusion amongst consumers that the registration is authorised by or belongs to the Complainant or is somehow related to the Complainant. Such registration is damaging to the Complainant’s goodwill and reputation and results in brand dilution of its CAT mark.
Where
Trade Mark Registry of the Ministry of Industry & Trade in Jordan (“the Ministry”)
Facts of the Case
The Respondent had registered the disputed trade mark Registration in 2006.
The Complainant has trade mark registrations for Caterpillar & CAT in a number of countries including Jordan and has been using both trade marks for decades.
The Complainant argued, inter alia, that the disputed Registration was confusingly similar to marks in which the Complainant has rights, and the Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in the registration of the disputed Registration.
Ministry’s Findings
Accordingly, the Ministry found that the disputed Registration was confusingly similar to the Complainant’s CAT mark.
In conclusion, the Ministry was satisfied that the Complainant had succeeded in proving its case and ordered that the disputed Registration be struck out from the register of trade marks in its decision dated 3 July 2013.
Learnings
Caterpillar was able to leverage on its well known CAT trade mark to strike out the registration of Cat Wax Caterpillar had argued successfully that Caterpillar was more than yellow iron and is highly diversified with broad ranging businesses.
This important case demonstrates Caterpillar’s far reaching fame.
It is important to build brand equity in your trade mark as it will pay dividends in the years to come in arresting unauthorised use of your mark in similar trade marks, which seek to capitalize on the goodwill and reputation subsisting in your mark.
Brand owners ought to be vigilant in monitoring any unauthorised usage of their trade marks and to act swiftly and decisively in rooting out the problem by engaging trade mark counsel to keep watches of offending trade marks. The fact that Caterpillar had been vigilant in enforcing its rights against offenders was important in shoring up its arguments that any attempt to free ride on its substantial goodwill and reputation was damaging to its brand integrity and likely to cause brand dilution.
This significant case represents yet another decisive victory for the ATCO IP Dispute Resolution practice, part of our award winning IP practice which continues to counsel clients in ensuring that their valuable goodwill and reputation is well protected.
To learn more about our services and get the latest legal insights from across the Middle East and North Africa region, click on the link below.