14th October, 2011

GI tag likely for Hyderabadi biryani

Hyderabadi biryani- the much savored dish from the state of Andhra Pradesh in India is most likely to get a Geographical Indication (GI) status soon. This dish is made from basmati rice and meat blended with particular spices, will have a logo or hologram to guarantee the original and authentic biryani.

An association of hoteliers has applied to the Geographical Indications Registry Office, Chennai for the desirable tag. About 200 hotels from Hyderabad which sell the biryani are part of the association. The AP State Biodiversity Board had been assisting the association in the filing procedures

This delectable biryani is prepared in a typical manner with the right quantity and quality of its essential ingredients to get the right taste. If a GI status is conferred to it, none can sell Hyderabadi biryani anywhere in the country, unless it conforms to the standard set by the association of hoteliers.

The GI Registry would start the verification process soon.

 

ACTA Signed by Eight Countries

Australia, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and the US were the first few countries to sign the very controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Though 11 countries took part in the final negotiations last year, representatives of eight governments actually signed the agreement on 1st October in Tokyo. The EU, Mexico and Switzerland attended the ceremony and confirmed their continuing support for the agreement, but are yet to sign it. 

The Agreement opposed by many a countries including India, requires the approval of 6 members to come into effect.  The ACTA will formalize the legal foundation for a standard alliance of trading partners, representing more than half of world trade and would fight against the infringement of IPR, especially the profusion of counterfeiting and piracy on a global scale.

The ACTA would create a standard set of rules based on the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

 

Disney applies for ‘Castle of Illusion’ Trademark

The Walt Disney Co. has filed to register a trademark for the term ‘Castle of Illusion’ at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The application indicates that the mark would be used for video-game cartridges, discs and software; and computer-game discs and software.

Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse was a video game first released in 1990 for the Mega Drive/Genesis which was developed by Sega of Japan. The California- based entertainment company may be merely renewing its ownership of the Castle of Illusion mark to stop it from being inactive. Sega of America Inc., which in 1990 released a “Castle of Illusion” game starring Mickey Mouse, had filed an application in March 1991 to trademark the phrase and abandoned it in September 1991. Sega ultimately lost the license.

isney may be preparing for a brand new release also set in the castle that Mickey Mouse used while trying to save Minnie or it could be a re-release of the old game on a new platform, like the Wii Virtual Console or in HD on PS3 or 360.

 

Sony to buy Ericsson

Japan's Sony Corp. is in talks to buy out Ericsson's stake in their mobile phone joint venture. The deal estimated at as much as $1.3 billion could help Sony to compete with its rivals like  Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.

The Japanese and Swedish partners have been discussing regarding the prospect of the joint venture and the continuing use of Ericsson's telecoms patents. Both companies which currently hold a 50% stake are yet to decide regarding the renewal of their 10-year-old partnership which did well in the beginning, but later on lost out to its competitors.

Tablets, games devices and other consumer electronics are offered under the Sony brand, while Sony Ericsson offers smartphones. Sony Ericsson business on smartphones running Google's market leading Android software has been doing well, with the joint company reporting profit of 90 million euros last year after booking a loss of 836 million euros in 2009.  Sony Ericsson's phones were presented inside the Sony hall, along with Sony's TV sets and new tablets at the IFA trade fair in Berlin last month.

ony's products and network services have been separate till now but merging them would be constructive for Japan's biggest exporter of consumer electronics.

 

Subway and Singapore firm fight over ‘Subway’ trade mark

The American sandwich chain Subway is suing a Nonya kueh chain in Singapore Subway Niche for alleged infringement of its Subway trademark. The sandwich chain alleged that there could be confusion among the customers due to the resemblance in the mark

Subway had sent a "cease and desist" letter the owner of Subway Niche, alleging infringement of its trademark rights in October 2007 with the sandwich chain going to court the next year. However the case was later dismissed. Subway, owned by Florida-based Doctor's Associates, took legal action against Subway Niche when it also started selling sandwiches.  The legal proceedings were recommenced in May last year in Singapore’s High Court.

Subway the largest single-brand restaurant chain has been selling sandwiches since 1965 and has become the world's largest fast food chain with close to 35,391 stores in 98 countries.

Subway Niche has five outlets in Singapore, with the first one opened in 1987. It sells local snacks like nyonya kueh, nasi lemak, mee siam and mee rebus, including sandwiches, cakes and pastries.