Last month BOIP, the trademark office of the Benelux countries, announced that it will change the system of fees for filing trademarks from January 1st 2019. Until that date, the old filing fee system will remain in force, meaning that the price for a trademark filing is the same from one to three chosen classes, only charging additional fees from the fourth class up. This also will apply to trademark renewals from the same date. From Jan 1st onward however, a base filing fee will be charged for one class filing and additional fees per added class. This results in higher costs for business owners seeking trademark protection or with trademarks that need to be renewed. That is why we advise our clients to file new applications if possible before 31 December of this year (unless protection in only one class is required), and to renew their current registrations (due for renewal untill 30 June 2019), thus saving serious money on renewal costs. » trademark-registration

In 2017, Mexx International acquired all IP rights of the former lifestyle brand Mexx. In doing so it became owner of the many MEXX trademarks for clothing and bed linen. The mark had been sublicensed for bedding until 2015.Globa Sleep has taken over the estate and assets from the bankrupt Mexx Bedding. Globa Sleep offers box spring and mattresses through Facebook and LinkedIn pages of the former company and the website <mexxbedding.nl>. After a summoning of Mexx International to stop this use, Globa Sleep states it will change the trade name and domain. But after a few months there is still plenty to be found online, so a lawsuit is quick to follow. » trademarks

When consumers are bothered by the content of advertising, they can file a complaint with “the Dutch Advertising Code Committee”. This is easy and free of charge. Fortunately, complaints are first assessed by the committee’s chairman, so most foolish complaints are quickly rejected.The new ASN commercial ‘habitual animal’ received a lot of praise. The commercial discusses banking from a very different perspective and is executed simply brilliantly. For years, ‘habitual animal’ has been doing its banking business with 'the same tie'. When he discovers that 'tie' makes money on things that are bad for nature and animals, he switches to ASN. » advertising-law

Domain names are registered on ‘first come, first served’ basis. This created a new phenomenon called: domain name hijacking. Quickly register domain names with names of famous people or famous brands with the aim of selling them for a lot of money. To stop this, the UDRP was invented, a quick and cheap procedure to reclaim a domain name. The UDRP is still very popular, but sometimes not the best route in a conflict, as became clear by the case of <mediawebshop.nl>. » internet-online-branding

As opposed to the match in the Champions League, Bayern Munich did end up on top in the competition for its logo this year. In 2002, the FC BAYERN MUNCHEN logo was registered in black and white in the EU as a device mark for almost all goods and services. A smart move, because that way the logo can be turned for profit. Many of the club’s sponsors (including a beer brewer) bring products to the market with the logo ride along on the popularity of the team. The logo consists of the name with the pattern of the Bavarian flag in the middle. When another Bavarian brewery comes up with a similar logo, the football club objects » trademarks