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IP

“Dog eat dog”: Pablo Escobar v. Al CaponeIP
Karolína Steinerová

“Dog eat dog”: Pablo Escobar v. Al Capone

There is no criminal like Pablo Escobar. This is how one could summarise the decision of the European Court of Justice of 17 April 2024, upholding the decision of the Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office to refuse the application for the European trade mark "Pablo Escob
Four stripes, still adidasIP
Karolína Steinerová

Four stripes, still adidas

You know the slightly ironic saying “More stripes, more adidas”? I’m sure you do... And the Czech courts know it too! So well, in fact, that it made it into the reasoning of a judgment. If you want to know the outcome, read the article commenting on the court battle of the stripes.
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Authors

Ivan Rámeš

I've always liked photography, fast cars and new technology, which naturally led me to pursue a career in law in the areas of intellectual property - with a particular fondness for anti-counterfeiting, and information technology. Slightly outside these two fields, my other specialisations are consumer law, unfair competition, and contractual law focused on customer-supplier relations. If you can't find me in the office, I'm probably travelling and taking pictures in America's national parks.

Tomáš Havelka

You'll find me everywhere that smacks of the Netherlands and Belgium. And it doesn't matter whether it's culture, sport, gastronomy or law. Besides fries, herrings and cycling, it is also one of the most innovative regions in the world. I specialise in intellectual property law in modern (digital) society and I have a special interest in artificial intelligence and virtual reality. In my free time, however, I prefer activities where I don't encounter any technology (i.e. all outdoor sports in nature).

Tereza Hrabáková

Even as a little girl, I was most interested in the fashion and cosmetics industry, and I helped my grandmother sew according to Burda magazine. In the end, I became neither a fashion designer nor a fashion blogger, but at least I chose a field of law that is closely related to fashion and cosmetics - intellectual property and especially trademarks. In my free time, I practice yoga, run, learn Hebrew, or get inspiration from Instagram or ELLE and VOGUE.

Robert Nešpůrek

As soon as I got the opportunity to do a one-year postgraduate course in European law in the Netherlands after my studies at a law faculty in Prague, I knew immediately that I wanted to specialise in international trade law, technology law and intellectual property, as well as related aspects of competition law. I started in the Prague office of a global law firm where I was also interested in telecoms and technology transactions, as we were going through the dot.com boom, and I had the opportunity to work briefly in London. In 2001, we founded our law firm Havel & Partners and I continued in this specialisation. After 2008, I formed our dedicated Commercial IP and IT advisory group, where we are now fully engaged in all areas of intellectual property, digital economy, e-commerce, fintech, drones, autonomous cars, blockchain and technology transactions and all possible types of commercial contractual relationships, both domestic and cross-border.

Vojtěch Zavadil

While most children are given picture books as their first reading, I entered the world of language and stories through ancient Greek myths. And there is no story that does not have its origin in history. That's not the only reason I started building my own story, inspired by the previous two generations, on my family's tradition of studying law. However, my love for history and stories has remained, so my professional interest is mainly in copyright law, and since I like to look for parallels, I am also close to EU private international law. In my spare time I like to play basketball or board games, practice historical fencing or plan trips to explore.

Karolína Steinerová

I should probably write that I’ve wanted to be Perry Mason in skirts and fight for the rights of the weak in courtrooms since I was a kid. But it wasn’t like that – I wanted to be a professional gymnast. I’m glad my dream didn’t come true and life led me to the law. Instead of the gym, I’m now competing in front of a judge, and the counterparty’s counsel is my opponent. I enjoy my work in IP litigation (i.e. litigation with an IP and unfair competition element) immensely because of its diversity and indeed because of the competition aspect. If I had become a professional gymnast, I would be long past my zenith – but I can still compete in the courtroom for a few more decades. And I’m grateful for that.

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