The Federal Court handed down a landmark decision in the trade mark dispute between the Wild Geese and Wild Turkey alcohol brands[1]. In doing so, it has changed the way trade mark law operates. Legal background. Under section ...
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12 November 2016 is d-day! New unfair contract laws will commence in Australia extending the coverage of consumer protection to ‘standard form’ small business contracts. Business to business transactions will be significantly ...
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Australia recently marked World Mental Health Day, a campaign which raises community awareness about mental health issues. In support of this cause, we briefly highlight, in this blog, an Australian employer’s legal obligations to ...
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Confectionery companies and chocolatier giants, Mars and Mondelez International, have been battling over the use of a lower case ‘m’ on Mars’ packaging of M&M’s. This long-standing court battle in Sweden recently came to a ...
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When is a dismissal unfair? Unfair dismissal is when an employee is dismissed from their job in a harsh, unjust or unreasonable manner. In the case of small businesses unfair dismissals may occur where the dismissal was ...
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Property developers, architects and builders should be aware that using a third party’s plans may result in copyright infringement. In a recent decision in the Habitare Developments case1, the Full Court of the Federal Court ...
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A recent EU case highlights the importance of trade mark clearance searches and brand strategy from an early stage. Of notable interest is the fact that this striking decision involved a battle between 2 companies with huge global ...
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Australians have a penchant for jocular nicknames. And we’re not just talking on the footy field. Aussie jargon even stretches to the corporate space. Take these for examples: petrol stations are ‘servos’; the Salvation ...
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With the festive season fast approaching many employers will be organising the office Christmas party. For many employees who have worked hard over the last 12 months the office Christmas party is an opportunity to unwind and relax ...
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We recently commented on Cantarella’s ground breaking High Court decision in relation to the use of the word ‘ORO’ (meaning ‘gold’ in Italian and Spanish). There is now further judicial reasoning supporting this ...
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