Jaguar Land Rover has lost in a legal battle to get the trademark rights for the iconic Land Rover Defender SUV design against Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group. The decision has freed the fear of any legal action for the Ineos Automotive’s new Grenadier off-road vehicle.
On Monday (August 3,2020), a United Kingdom Court dismissed a plea filed by Jaguar Land Rover’s parent company Tata Motors while upholding the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) findings after a thorough assessment that, the designs it is seeking might appear unique at the outset yet they do not possess any inherent distinctive feature as mentioned under Section 3(1)(b) and (c) of the Trade Marks Act, 1994. Chemical billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Automotive unveiled the Grenadier as the Land Rover Defender rival at the end of the June month. It was no surprise whatsoever as Ratcliffe himself said that the Defender inspired the Ineos Model. Plans are to manufacture vehicles in Portugal and South Wales.
In fact, Ratcliffe offered to buy the Land Rover Defender's old production line after the automaker abandoned the production of the old classic Defender in Solihull in January 2016 almost after 70 years. When the said offer was declined, Sir Ratcliffe set out to build a similar yet better replacement of the old classic, which was unveiled as the Grenadier. The company has branded the design of the new Grenadier as “a rugged, capable and comfortable go-anywhere working vehicle”. According to the Telegraph reports, JLR has expressed disappointment with the UK High Court’s ruling stating that the design has already been trademarked in various other markets. They said, “The Land Rover Defender is an iconic vehicle which is part of Land Rover’s past, present, and future…Its unique shape is instantly recognizable and signifies the Land Rover brand around the world.” Ineos responded in a statement that the court's ruling confirms "that the shape of the Defender does not serve as a badge of origin for JLR’s goods. ... We continue with our launch plans and are excited to bring The Grenadier to market in 2021."
SC Extends Tenure Of IPAB Chairman For Another Year
The Supreme Court today (December 18, 2019) extended the service of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) Chairman for another year. The term of Justice Manomohan Singh, a retired Delhi High Court Judge,expired on September 21, 2019 while the Government is yet to make fresh appointments.The Apex Court asked the Attorney General, Tushar Mehta to seek instructions from the Government by the first week of February, 2020 on whether the Principal Bench of the IPAB can be relocated or...
WIPO Copyright treaties get Cabinet nod
Business
Jul 05, 2018
Editor : Shreya Bansal
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The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (July 4th, 2018) approved India’s accession to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and WIPO Performers and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) that extends the copyright coverage to the internet and digital spheres.The accession enables the creative right holders to use technical tools to protect their work and safeguard information globally.IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad briefing the reporters said that “These treaties will help India...
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