19 November 2015
25 July 2015
SAF Combined Rededication Ceremony 2015
We should not take for granted the stability we enjoy in Singapore. LJ Vernus's team would like to take the opportunity to thank our servicemen and women for all the hard work and commitment that you have put in to keep Singapore safe!
More pictures here...
10 July 2015
27 February 2015
The Chinese New Year Edition
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
The LJ Vernus team took some time off on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 for a hearty CNY lunch and lo hei session.
Also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, this major festival is celebrated by all Chinese around the world to mark the turn of a new year in the Chinese calendar. It is usually accompanied by a lo hei session, which is the tradition of ‘tossing up good fortune’ using Yu Sheng or Raw Fish Salad. Families and friends gather to toss the salad while saying auspicious well wishes out loud to usher in good luck. It is also believed the higher you toss the ingredients in the salad, the greater your fortunes will be.
This year, the team decided to have a lo hei session with a modern twist and held it at Fish and Co instead of the traditional Chinese restaurants.
Check out the snippets below which were taken during our team lunch!
The LJ Vernus team took some time off on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 for a hearty CNY lunch and lo hei session.
Also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, this major festival is celebrated by all Chinese around the world to mark the turn of a new year in the Chinese calendar. It is usually accompanied by a lo hei session, which is the tradition of ‘tossing up good fortune’ using Yu Sheng or Raw Fish Salad. Families and friends gather to toss the salad while saying auspicious well wishes out loud to usher in good luck. It is also believed the higher you toss the ingredients in the salad, the greater your fortunes will be.
This year, the team decided to have a lo hei session with a modern twist and held it at Fish and Co instead of the traditional Chinese restaurants.
Check out the snippets below which were taken during our team lunch!
Happy CNY from LJ Vernus!
The usual few and a warm welcome to our newest team member, Elynn, who is our in-house paralegal.
A typical lo hei salad consists of; white and green radish, carrots, capsicum, turnips, red pickled ginger, slices of raw salmon, prawns, crackers, topped with fragrant dressing of plum sauce, five spice powder and sesame oil.
5 February 2015
Parody trademarking
I actually wouldn't mind getting one of these tees.
Major brands have always been subjected to parodies. In US, the Courts recognize parody as a defence against a trademark infringement action, although this area of law is not covered in Singapore.
Here are some amusing parodies and their not too amusing consequences:
North Face vs South Butt (2007 - 2011)
In a nutshell: The South Butt was started in 2007 by Jimmy Winkelman as a parody brand that sells clothing. It was issued a cease and desist letter by North Face and in 2010, both parties reached a settlement in which the terms are undisclosed. However, instead of abandoning the brand, Winkelman proceeded to launch The Butt Face. This time, a
judge ordered the Winkelmanns to abandon their application for "The Butt
Face" trademark, shut down their web store and Facebook page, surrender
all merchandise and pay $65,000.
Read more here
Saks Fifth Avenue vs Snaks Fifth Avenchews (2014)
Oh look! Puppy!
In a nutshell: Snaks Fifth Avenchew was served with a cease and desist letter from Saks Fifth Avenue for the usage of her company name. For most small businesses, it would have been easier (and spared them the litigation expenses) if they were to just change their name. But what if you have spent a lot of time, effort and money on your branding? In this case, Snaks business owner, Carrie Sarabella, is not ready to just give up on her brand and has hired a copyright lawyer. It has been argued that
the name was acceptable under the so-called fair-use law, which “recognizes that parody marks cause no harm to the established mark
Such determination proved to be worthwhile for Carrie as they've consequently received a letter from Saks, saying that they would no longer pursue the matter. As an added bonus for Carrie, she's received more publicity and her sales figures has never been higher.
Read more here
Here are more articles on parody trademarking that has gone wrong (or right, it depends)
Polo/Ralph Lauren overturn polo player on a bicycle trademark decision
Dear Google: Parody Is Not Trademark Infringement
Should you have any enquiries or other amusing trademark parodies, feel free to drop us an email or tag us in your replies!
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