BATTLE OF THE BARONIAL BOTTLES; TEMPERATURE RISES TO FREEZING POINT

Battle of the Baronial Bottles

Yesterday the Court of First Instance of the European Communities posted its ruling in Case T-323/03, La Baronia de Turis, Cooperativa Valenciana v OHIM. This was an appeal against the refusal of the OHIM Second Board of Appeal in Case R 57/2003-2 to allow its opposition to the registration as a Community trade mark of the words LA BARONNIE, filed by Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA for products in Class 33 (wine). La Baronia cited its earlier Spanish trade mark BARONIA for alcoholic beverages other than beers, arguing that there was a likelihood of confusion.

The CFI's decision appears only in French, which is a pity because it looks like an interesting one. Can anyone please tell the IPKat what has happened? Merpel says, me too!

La Baronia de Turis website here (this is a must-visit experience)
Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA website here
More Baronia trade marks here and here


Temperature rises to freezing point

That IPKat thanks Simon Haslam (Abel & Imray) for pointing him towards the item on BBC news concerning British Phonographic Industry's request to ISPs Tiscali and Cable & Wireless to freeze the accounts of 59 subscribers who are reputed to be the worst-offending file-sharers of recordings owned by BPI members.

To date, BPI has taken legal action in 139 filesharing cases. Four have gone to court with BPI the winner; another 111 individuals having settled out of court.

The IPKat thinks it's ironical that, to turn up the heat on copyright infringers, the BPI has to get their accounts frozen. Merpel says, remember the days when it wasn't thought viable to proceed against individuals ...

What exactly is file-sharing? Click here
What the Electronic Frontier Foundation says here
How to disable file-sharing here