Harmful Trademarks: Towards a New Understanding of Moral Bars in GCC Registration

Nadiya Farah

doi:10.5771/9783845294568

Summary

Between 2013-2017, around 115 EU trademark applications were rejected on morality and public order grounds. In the GCC (six Arab and Islamic countries), anecdotal evidence suggests some refusals have bemused foreign applicants and highlighted cultural blindspots. In this context, this work examines how three Arab Gulf states that have Islamic law as the main source of legislation and large expatriate communities, apply moral bars to trademark registration. It draws comparison with Western jurisdictions. Three main questions are explored: 1) To what extent do immoral or borderline trademarks/goods proceed to registration in conservative Islamic countries that apply trademark law in conformity with Shari’a law? 2) What reasoning is guiding decisions? 3) Can a concept of ‘harm’ improve our understanding of the power of trademarks and thus the moral thresholds that countries set?

The author is an innovation and IP commercialisation professional. She acquired a passion for trademark law while completing a Master of Laws in ‘Intellectual Property and Competition Law’ in Munich, Germany. She is now pursuing a career in trademark law in the UK.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2019
Copyright Year: 2019
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8487-5283-6
ISBN-Online: 978-3-8452-9456-8
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Munich Intellectual Property Law Center - MIPLC Studies
Volume: 36
Language: English
Pages: 103
Product Type: Monograph

Titelei/InhaltsverzeichnisPages 1 - 10 Download chapter (PDF)
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1. 1. Background
2. 2. Scope and geographical focus
3. 3. Legal focus
4. 4. Methodology
5. 5. Chapter outline
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1. 1. A. A concept of harm
  2. 1. 1. Are trademarks property?
    2. 2. Are trademarks tools of expression?
  3. C. The uncertainty of legal certainty
2. Conclusion
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1. 1. A. Development of trademark law
  2. 1. 1. a) Paris Convention
      2. b) National laws
    2. 2. Trademark functions
    3. 3. Registering trademarks
  3. 1. 1. Legal origins
    2. 2. Understanding ‘morality’ and ‘public order’
    3. 3. Tackling the terminology
2. Conclusion
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1. 1. A. Legal system, Shari’a law
  2. B. GCC IP Treaty Memberships
  3. C. Harmonisation
  4. 1. 1. Boycott (“prohibition to deal’) clause
    2. 2. Banned items: products and services that cannot be trademarked
  5. E. Prospects for registrability in the GCC
2. Conclusion
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1. 1. 1. 1. Concern that the public would be offended by the mark
    2. 2. Direct application of the law
    3. 3. A deeper concern about the power of a mark to erode the morals of society
    4. 4. The government should not provide official sanction to offensive marks
    5. 5. The government should not expend its time or financial resources to support marks that are contrary to the values of society
  2. B. The problem of deceptively innocuous marks: trademarks accepted in error
2. Conclusion
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1. 1. 1. 1. Inciting trademarks
    2. 2. Offensive, Debasing or Erosionary trademarks
    3. 3. Divisive trademarks
  2. B. Case examples – marks refused on morality or public order grounds in the GCC
2. Conclusion
ConclusionPages 93 - 94 Download chapter (PDF)
Appendix 1 – Survey of GCC law firmsPages 95 - 96 Download chapter (PDF)
List of Works CitedPages 97 - 103 Download chapter (PDF)

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