Model Provisions On 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.

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 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.

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.

The main aim of this book is to discuss the state of unfair competition law in the European Union. In this respect, the various efforts that have been made in the past to come to harmonization of this area of law and the reasons that they were only partially successful are reviewed. In addition, the International and European regulations that refer to unfair competition, like, e.g., the Paris Convention, the TRIPs and the recent 2004 Unfair Commercial Practices Directive are discussed. Also an overview is given of the unfair competition laws in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands with respect to the ‘problem-areas’ of slavish imitation, misleading advertising, denigrating one’s competitor, trade secrets and finally, misappropriation of valuable trade assets. Unfair competition law is traditionally considered part of intellectual property law. Not only the relation of unfair competition law to intellectual property laws are therefore part of the discussion but also the areas of consumer protection law (since unfair competition law is partly orientated towards consumer protection) and competition (as an economic concept) is the topic of thorough review.

This is the first in-depth treatment in English of Japanese law and practice governing unfair competition. The author analyzes the interaction of the relevant laws - and the case law derived from each - to present a systematic description of how business reputation, trade secrets, well-known marks, and other aspects of business achievement and investment are protected against undue exploitation in Japan. Prohibited acts of unfair competition covered include: misappropriation by confusion or passing-off; misappropriation through breach of trust or fiduciary duty; slavish imitation of distinct product features; trade mark piracy; tortious acts of denigration, libel, and slander; direct interference by, e.g., boycott or bribery; undue exercise of intellectual property rights; and misleading indications on goods and services (e.g., of geographical origin). Several problematic areas - in particular, the obstacles to effective enforcement, and the lack of adequate protection for consumers against acts of unfair competition - are given particular emphasis. The book concludes with cogent proposals on how the Japanese system could be improved and developed, referring to the model provisions of the World Intellectual Property Organization and offering a new and original draft Unfair Competition Act. Any business person or investor interested in the Japanese market will benefit enormously from this practical and insightful volume.

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.