International Protection Against Unfair Competition

Published in 1996. These model provisions were prepared by the WIPO secretariat and give, where appropriate, explanatory notes on the provisions in question. There are a total of six articles, ranging from general principles to causing confusion, damaging goodwill or reputation, misleading the public and the use of secret information.

In The Protection Against Unfair Competition in the WTO TRIPS Agreement, Christian Riffel offers an account of the potential which Article 10bis of the Paris Convention has for the world trading system. In particular, the author explores what hard law obligations emerge and examines a possible application to unsettled issues, such as core labour standards and traditional knowledge. Article 10bis embodies unfair competition law in a nutshell. The TRIPS Agreement incorporates this Article into the World Trade Organization, thus making unfair competition law a discipline of international trade law. By providing an effective enforcement mechanism against unfair competition, the WTO upholds ‘honest practices’ in the course of trade, alleviating enforcement deficits in other areas of international law.

The book delineates, with extraordinary clarity and precision, the working of unfair competition law throughout the European Union. Its four comprehensive chapters encompass: basic considerations of definition, subject matter, enforcement, and applicable law: international provisions under the Paris convention, TRIPS, and WIPO model law; analysis of relevant EC directives and regulations and ECJ jurisprudence; and extensive discussions of the national unfair competition laws of all 25 Member States. For each Member State, specific topics covered include such considerations as the following: sources of law; competition law in a nutshell; regulation of advertising; direct marketing; sales promotion; risk of confusion; disparagement, defamation; misappropriation, imitation; impediment of competitors; and breach of the law. The author also provides a selected bibliography of sources for each country. It would be difficult to find a more useful analysis of European Unfair Competition Law than this systematic study. It is practical, thorough, clarifying, and readable, all at the same time. The author untangles the most complex of apparent contradictions with impressive skill. Copies of this book will quickly take their places on the working shelves of interested practitioners, academics, and officials throughout Europe.

Written by a worldwide team of experts, this book surveys and comments on the unfair competition laws of the world's leading economic powers. Following a standard pattern, each chapter introduces the reader to the latest developments in each jurisdiction, highlighting the ways in which the basic legislation and case law relates to enforcement issues, and how unfair competition laws fit with wider considerations of consumer protection and within prevailing intellectual property and competition law frameworks. Each of the country reports follows the same standard structure, which includes: background and general approach to unfair competition law * legal basis of unfair competition law and relations to neighboring areas of law * general considerations * general clause against unfair competition * marketing * protection of competitors against unfair trade practices * specific protection of consumers against unfair trade practices * enforcement. The country reports cover the following countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

This book examines the present state of harmonization of unfair competition law in Europe. It discusses the particular approach to unfair competition law in the 10 new Member States and the possible impact on the future development of European unfair competition law. The book presents new insight in the importance of unfair competition law, especially in countries with a developing market economy.

The publication gives useful information on the legal and practical aspects of protection against unfair competition. It shows how such protection effectively supplements the protection of industrial property rights. The publication includes chapters on the legal basis for protection against unfair competition, the kinds of unfair competition and the enforcement of such protection. The annex lists legislative texts concerning protection against unfair competition in some 50 countries and four regional organizations.

The many strands of trademark and unfair competition doctrine are organized into a coherent conceptual framework consisting of a brief examination of foundational concepts, followed by thorough treatments of the law on (1) the creation of trademark rights; and (2) the scope & enforcement of trademark rights and some related causes of action. The traditional case-and-note format is enhanced by problems that help students understand intricate key topics. Trademarks and Unfair Competition features many issues related to online commerce, such as cybersquatting, keyword advertising, the relationship between trademarks and domain names, and the potential secondary liability of online auction websites such as eBay. International as well as domestic issues are thoroughly explored. Comprehensive coverage of trade dress protection is integrated with issues of word mark protection. New to the 5th Edition: the Tam and Brunetti decisions striking down the scandalousness and disparagement bars to registration extensive coverage of recent case developments on expressive uses of marks in political and artistic contexts the Belmora decision on well-known marks and developments on extraterritorial application of the Lanham Act Key Features: coherent conceptual framework clearly delineating creation of rights and enforcement of rights issues traditional case-and-note format, enhanced by problems thorough coverage of trademark issues arising in online commerce integrated coverage of international and domestic doctrine thorough treatment of trade dress protection, integrated with issues of word mark protection