Pokémon has been having a tough time lately. As a popular game brand that is well-known all over the world, it naturally has a significant fan base. Unfortunately, some of those fans turned out to be free riders. News recently broke that the game Palword was some kind of A.I. rip off (meaning a possible copyright infringement). As if this were not enough, Pokémon has also had to defend its trademark rights. Fortunately for Pokémon, the opposition proceedings before the European Trademarks Office were a walk in the park, given that the best name the opposing party ─ a Chinese company ─ had been able to come up with was ‘Pokemo’.

Energy drinks and video games may not, at first glance, seem to be in direct competition. However, well-known game producer Ubisoft recently faced an objection from Monster Energy, the company behind the drinks of the same name. Monster Energy filed an opposition to the new videogame Gods & Monsters on the grounds that it could be confused with the MONSTER ENERGY logo.

A Dutch insurance company regularly runs television commercials saying "Stay ordinary for long enough and one day you will be special". There is certainly a kernel of truth to this saying. Unfortunately, it does not tend to apply to trademarks that are inherently lacking in distinctiveness. These are often word marks that spell out exactly what a company does.

‘Johnny Johnny, Yes Papa’ is a familiar phenomenon to many people. This children’s song is about a little boy called Johnny, whose father catches him eating sugar, even though he is not allowed to. There are many different versions of the children’s song, each with a different theme.

Our “trademark eye” is always on the lookout for companies rebranding. This time we spotted that U.S. Gas station and convenience store chain ‘Kum & Go’ will reportedly rebrand after being sold to new owners.

Adidas is a world-famous sports and leisure brand, whose logo features on almost all of its products. Adidas also has several sub-brands, such as 'Terrex', which was launched to sell the company’s outdoor product range.

Kool & The Gang had its biggest successes in the seventies and eighties (remember: Ladies Night!). Only one founding member of Kool & the Gang, Robert “Kool”, is still alive. In 2021, however, new members of Kool & the Gang made a studio album named “Perfect Union”.

From a marketing perspective, standing out from the competition is important. Being distinctive means that potential clients will notice you and you can leave an impression. Distinctiveness is also an essential element in trademark law because a trademark must be distinctive to gain acceptance with the trademark authorities.

When someone says ‘Doritos’, you automatically think of crunchy, cheesy nachos. How about a Doritos flavoured drink? Empirical, a spirits company, came up with the idea and did some experimentation. The result is a liqueur that smells and tastes exactly like nachos. It’s supposed to be delicious.

It appears that in China people wearing frog costumes (so called “Frog sellers” or “Frog Influencers”) led to a flood of viral videos.

Wishing you happy holidays and an amazing 2024 from all of us at Knijff!

Assassin's Creed, developed by Ubisoft, is an action-adventure game known for its historical settings. In the series, players take on the roles of various characters navigating through different eras.

Vincent van Gogh spent his life in various places in Europe. He lived in Paris and London as an art dealer, and made most of his artworks in Brabant and France.

Star Wars has been globally renowned for decades. Unfortunately, famous brands are still occasionally 'borrowed' by companies for different products or services.

Some victories come at such a high price that it would be more accurate to describe them as a tactical defeat. If you know your classics, you will have heard the term ‘Pyrrhic victory’.

The abiding Louis Vuitton pattern

Crompouce (®?) - A Pink Sensation

Creepy crawlies are contesting