Foley Hoag LLP - Trademark, Copyright & Unfair Competition (JD Supra France)

IP and Social Networks: The Paris District Court Invalidates IP Clauses of Google+ Terms of Use
It’s been rough weather for Google in France. Three weeks after the French ?Data Protection Authority imposed a record fine against Google for non-compliance with the GDPR, the Paris District Court (“Tribunal de Grande Instance”) invalidated 38 clauses of Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Google+, the Internet-based social media network owned and operated by Google.
French Court Finds Jeff Koons Appropriated Copyrighted Photograph That “Saved Him Creative Work”
Jeff Koons is a well-known U.S. sculptor. In 2013, one of his “Balloon Dog” sculptures was purchased for $58.4 million dollars, the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by a living artist. Koons is also famous for having faced several copyright infringement lawsuits in the U.S. and other countries.
Bastille Day Fireworks and Copyright
Bastille Day is a French national holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, an important episode in the French Revolution. Each year, Paris celebrates the day with an elaborate military parade down the Champs Elysées. Large and small fire departments across France hold balls with music, wine and dancing; and of course fireworks are set off from the Eiffel Tower.
Jimi Hendrix Portrait Denied Copyright Protection For Lack of Originality
France is often presented as a country which is quite protective of IP owners, especially in the field of trademarks and copyright.? However, a recent decision rendered by the Paris District Court in relation to a portrait of Jimi Hendrix clearly goes in the opposite direction.
French Trademark Office Will Not Register “PRAY FOR PARIS” Or “JE SUIS PARIS”
After the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, the French Trademark Office received so many applications for “JE SUIS CHARLIE” that the Office issued a statement in which it warned that it would not register any of these marks. The reason given at that time by the Office was that, because of the widespread use of the slogan, it lacked distinctiveness.
5 Things You May Not Know About Trademarks in France
Foley Hoag was recently delighted to announce the arrival of two IP attorneys to our Paris office, Catherine Muyl and Alice Berendes. We asked them to tell us a few things we may not know about trademarks in France. Here they are: On the French territory, two types of marks coexist: French trademarks issued by the French Trademark Office (INPI), that are valid on the French territory only,

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