Cyprus loses trademark 'halloumi' because correspondence went unanswered

10-12-2018 Print this page
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Cyprus Mail: "Cyprus has lost the halloumi trademark in the UK essentially because of a change of address and because crucial correspondence from the UK dealing with the case either went astray or was not dealt with by the correct officials at the commerce ministry. The “evidence simply demonstrates that the ministry was the author of its own misfortune”, says the damning ruling by the England and Wales High Court (Chancery Division).

 

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“If parties choose to give addresses for service outside the UK, then they must accept the consequential delays in receiving such communications,” the court said. “The ministry could have provided the IPO with an email address for correspondence in addition to the postal service address, but it did not.”

 

It further states that “evidence simply demonstrates that the ministry was the author of its own misfortune. The Ministry’s internal procedures were so disorganised that the letter enclosing the Application was passed from official to official after receipt on February 9, 2018, but no action was taken."

 

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Photo by Rainer Zenz under CC BY-SA 3.0