Revoke the Radler Trademark

Open letter to IPONZ

To Whom It May Concern,

this is your official warning that your organisation IPONZ is at legal risk. You should never have granted Trademark 700726 and you must now revoke this trademark. It appears to have been mistakenly granted with Trade Mark Non-Convention, WORD, whereas this word Radler is a conventional word, used in common language to describe a generic type of beer.

It is time someonebody - surely the state prosecutor? - should take the commissioner for trademarks to court for allowing the term "Radler" to be trademarked by DB Breweries Ltd? This Trademark should be revoked under section 17 and also section 18 B and D because the term Radler is a term that has become customary in the current language or in the bona fide and established practices of trade.

Please see the relevant sections of NZ Law below:

Trade Marks Act 2002 No 49 (as at 15 December 2005), Public Act

Date registered:

Subpart 2—Absolute grounds for not registering trade mark

17 Absolute grounds for not registering trade mark: general

(1) The Commissioner must not register as a trade mark or part of a trade mark any matter— (a) the use of which would be likely to deceive or cause

confusion; or (b) the use of which is contrary to New Zealand law or would otherwise be disentitled to protection in any

court; or (c) the use or registration of which would, in the opinion

of the Commissioner, be likely to offend a significant

section of the community, including Māori. (2) The Commissioner must not register a trade mark if the appli-

cation is made in bad faith. (3) Despite subsection (1)(b), the Commissioner may register a

24

trade mark even if use of the trade mark is restricted or pro- hibited under the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990. Compare: 1953 No 66 s 16

 

Registrability of non-distinctive trade marks

18 Non-distinctive trade mark not registrable

(1) The Commissioner must not register— (a) a sign that is not a trade mark: (b) a trade mark that has no distinctive character: (c) a trade mark that consists only of signs or indications

that may serve, in trade, to designate the kind, quality, quantity, intended purpose, value, geographical origin, time of production of goods or of rendering of services, or other characteristics of goods or services:

(d) a trade mark that consists only of signs or indications that have become customary in the current language or in the bona fide and established practices of trade.

(2) The Commissioner must not refuse to register a trade mark under subsection (1)(b), (c), or (d) if, before the date of appli- cation for registration, as a result of either the use made of it or of any other circumstances, the trade mark has acquired a distinctive character.

Compare: Trade Marks Act 1998 s 7(1)–(3) (Singapore)

Section 18(1)(c): amended, on 15 December 2005, by section 4 of the Trade Marks Amendment Act 2005 (2005 No 116).

Source: http://www.legislation.co.nz/act/public/2002/0049/latest/viewpdf.aspx?search=ts_act_trade+marks+act_resel

Official Record Of Radler Trademark

Trade Mark Details
Trade Mark Number (210)	700726 Current Status Registered/Under Proceeding
TM Search Text	RADLER
Trade Mark Type	Trade Mark Non-Convention, WORD
Trade Mark Nature
Use Statement	(i) being used by the proprietor(s), (being the applicant)
Filed (220)	02-SEP-2003
Renewed Until	02-SEP-2013
Marks , Device and Device Descriptors (532)
	RADLER
Classification System | Class (511) Specification of Goods and Services 8|32 beers; beverages made from malt; lager; fruit drinks, fruit juices, syrups, essences and other preparations for making beverages, combined with beer, beverages made from malt, or lager
Documents
No documents on record or public access is restricted
Proprietor: (730)	DB BREWERIES LIMITED . Corner of Great South Road and Bairds Road, Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand
Contact : (740)	SIMPSON GRIERSON . 88 Shortland Street, Auckland, New Zealand
Service Address:	88 Shortland Street, Auckland, New Zealand
Action Completed Due Journal Published Hearing Request 03-MAY-2011 02-MAY-2011 Hearings Correspondence 03-MAY-2011 02-MAY-2011 Hearings Correspondence 29-APR-2011 29-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 29-APR-2011 28-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 29-APR-2011 28-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 28-APR-2011 27-APR-2011 Hearings Evidence 28-APR-2011 28-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 26-APR-2011 19-APR-2011 Hearings Evidence 26-APR-2011 19-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 26-APR-2011 26-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 15-APR-2011 01-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 11-APR-2011 08-APR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 07-APR-2011 30-MAR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 07-APR-2011 15-MAR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 07-APR-2011 24-MAR-2011 Hearings Correspondence 22-MAR-2011 14-MAR-2011 Hearings Evidence 14-FEB-2011 27-JAN-2011 Hearings Correspondence 14-FEB-2011 09-FEB-2011 Hearings Correspondence 31-JAN-2011 11-JAN-2011 Hearings Correspondence 07-JAN-2011 14-DEC-2010 Hearings Evidence 30-NOV-2010 30-NOV-2010 Hearings Evidence 30-NOV-2010 18-NOV-2010 Hearings Correspondence 30-NOV-2010 30-NOV-2010 Hearings Evidence 18-NOV-2010 16-NOV-2010 Hearings Evidence 18-NOV-2010 16-NOV-2010 Hearings Evidence 18-NOV-2010 17-NOV-2010 Hearings Evidence 18-NOV-2010 16-NOV-2010 Hearings Correspondence 18-NOV-2010 17-NOV-2010 Hearings Evidence 21-SEP-2010 06-SEP-2010 Hearings Correspondence 31-AUG-2010 26-AUG-2010 Hearings Correspondence 23-AUG-2010 16-AUG-2010 Hearings Correspondence 23-AUG-2010 19-AUG-2010 Hearings Extension Request 23-AUG-2010 03-SEP-2010 Hearings Evidence 23-AUG-2010 16-AUG-2010 Hearings Evidence 19-JUL-2010 14-JUL-2010 Hearings Correspondence 03-JUN-2010 20-MAY-2010 Hearings Evidence 03-JUN-2010 04-MAY-2010 Hearings Evidence 03-JUN-2010 04-MAY-2010 Hearings Evidence 03-JUN-2010 04-MAY-2010 Extension of Time Request 04-MAY-2010 21-MAY-2010 Hearings Correspondence 20-APR-2010 16-APR-2010 Confirmation Copy Upload 19-APR-2010 19-APR-2010 Hearings Correspondence 15-APR-2010 30-MAR-2010 Hearings Correspondence 31-MAR-2010 26-MAR-2010 Hearings Correspondence 31-MAR-2010 26-MAR-2010 Confirmation Copy Upload 29-MAR-2010 29-MAR-2010 Hearings Correspondence 22-MAR-2010 18-MAR-2010 Hearings Evidence 03-MAR-2010 01-MAR-2010 Hearings Evidence 07-JAN-2010 06-JAN-2010 Hearings Evidence 19-NOV-2009 17-NOV-2009 Hearings Application for Revocation 06-OCT-2009 23-SEP-2009 Hearings Extension Request 16-SEP-2009 16-SEP-2009 Lodge Challenge 16-SEP-2009 Lodge Challenge 16-SEP-2009 Hearings Correspondence 16-SEP-2009 15-SEP-2009 Hearings Counterstatement 16-SEP-2009 11-SEP-2009 Hearings Correspondence 08-SEP-2009 07-SEP-2009 Hearings Application for Revocation 08-SEP-2009 07-SEP-2009 Hearings Correspondence 08-SEP-2009 07-SEP-2009 Hearings Correspondence 08-SEP-2009 04-SEP-2009 Hearings Correspondence 15-JUL-2009 10-JUL-2009 Confirmation Copy Upload 14-JUL-2009 14-JUL-2009 Hearings Application for Invalidity 14-MAY-2009 13-MAY-2009 Hearings Correspondence 11-MAY-2009 11-MAY-2009 Lodge Challenge 05-MAY-2009 Registered 08-JUN-2004 1500 25-JUN-2004 Published Date 27-FEB-2004 27-FEB-2004 1496 27-FEB-2004 Application Accepted 13-FEB-2004 13-FEB-2004 1496 27-FEB-2004 Filed 02-SEP-2003 02-SEP-2003
Related Trade Marks
No Related Trade Marks found
Objection Type	Lodged On
Challenge	16-SEP-2009
Challenge	05-MAY-2009
Challenge	16-SEP-2009
Last Renewed By
No renewal interest on record or public access is restricted
Proprietor & Licensee History
No proprietors nor licensees on record or public access is restricted
Your Selection Criteria IPOL Database Search Collection: Public Global: 700726
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Delivered: 29th July 2011 14:29:08