Hong Kong Case Law: Decisions & Judgments | LexChat

Hong Kong Case Law

Shape marks
  • 18 May 2007

    SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC v. REGISTRAR OF TRADE MARKS

    Citation
    SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT INC v. REGISTRAR OF TRADE MARKS
    Court
    Court of First Instance
    Case number
    HCMP2616/2006

    The Court applied the Mega Bloks necessity test to the essential features of each applied-for shape and found those essential features were dictated by technical functions: consoles as flat rectangular housings for components and stability, controllers as two short legs connected by a rung to enable secure bi-manual control, and the memory card as a flat rectangle to fit the console aperture and allow handling. As such the shapes are excluded from registration by TMO s.12(3)(b); additionally the shapes are common and lack inherent or acquired distinctiveness under TMO ss.9 and 10, so the appe…