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Nike loses trademark battle to Malaysian firm over Converse logo look-alike

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Penang-based apparel and footwear company Southern Rubber Works(SRW) has won a trademark battle against sportswear giant Nike, the former confirmed to A+M.In this case of intellectual property rights, Nike, which owns the “Converse All Star” basketball shoes,  opposed SRW’s registration of trademark for its “Classic Jazz Star” brand, arguing that the latter bears similarities with the iconic Converse brand.The well-known Converse brand features a star in the middle of a circle, with its signature "Converse All Star" placed at the top and bottom of the star logo.The “Classic Jazz Star” brand also has a star logo placed in the centre of a circular rim with the words “Class Jazz Star” framing the star.While Converse argued that consumers have long associated the marks which have a star in a circle with goods by Converse, the court overruled all of Converse’s objections and ruled in favour of “Classic Jazz Star” which can now register as a trademark. The ruling was made on 1 July, according to a The Straits Times report.The court ruled that although there is some visual similarity between the two star devices there are “aurally and conceptually different". Moreover, consumers are not likely to confuse the two brands, given that the marketing, packaging and pricing of both brands differ, the article said.SRW’s application for trademark is pending in countries such as China, Indonesia and Vietnam.A+M has reached out to SRW for further comments.

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