This book examines the present state of harmonization of unfair competition law in Europe. It discusses the particular approach to unfair competition law in the 10 new Member States and the possible impact on the future development of European unfair competition law. The book presents new insight in the importance of unfair competition law, especially in countries with a developing market economy.

The book delineates, with extraordinary clarity and precision, the working of unfair competition law throughout the European Union. Its four comprehensive chapters encompass: basic considerations of definition, subject matter, enforcement, and applicable law: international provisions under the Paris convention, TRIPS, and WIPO model law; analysis of relevant EC directives and regulations and ECJ jurisprudence; and extensive discussions of the national unfair competition laws of all 25 Member States. For each Member State, specific topics covered include such considerations as the following: sources of law; competition law in a nutshell; regulation of advertising; direct marketing; sales promotion; risk of confusion; disparagement, defamation; misappropriation, imitation; impediment of competitors; and breach of the law. The author also provides a selected bibliography of sources for each country. It would be difficult to find a more useful analysis of European Unfair Competition Law than this systematic study. It is practical, thorough, clarifying, and readable, all at the same time. The author untangles the most complex of apparent contradictions with impressive skill. Copies of this book will quickly take their places on the working shelves of interested practitioners, academics, and officials throughout Europe.

Features: Organizes the many strands of trademark and unfair competition doctrine around a coherent conceptual framework. The clear structure is divided into three parts: foundation and purposes, creation, and scope and& enforcement Traditional case-and-note format, enhanced by summarizing problems that help students better understand the intricacies of key topics. Features numerous Internet-related trademark issues, such as cybersquatting, keyword advertising, and domain name disputes. Also addresses the relationship between trademarks and domain name, and the potential secondary liability of online auction websites such as eBay Integrates international trademark issues with domestic issues Thoroughly treats trade dress protection, integrated with issues of word mark protection New to the Fourth Edition: The Second Circuit's important decision in Louboutin v. YSL Important new appellate decisions on functionality, including the Federal Circuit's Becton Dickinson opinion and the decision of the Seventh Circuit in Franco and Sons The Fourth Circuit's decision in Rosetta Stone on trademark liability for keyword advertising The Eleventh Circuit's University of Alabama opinion on First Amendment limitations on the scope of trademark rights Cases exploring trademark fair use, including the DELICIOUS shoes case and the Tabari case on nominative fair use in connection with domain names New applications of the trademark dilution and anti-cybersquatting provisions New cases on remedies

Since 2005 the law of unfair commercial practices has undergone a revolution. This book presents the first comprehensive and critical examination of Directives 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices and 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising. The book offers the first detailed analysis of the various ways in which the two Directives have been transposed in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, with a particular focus on incorrect transposition. The analysis includes an overview of the enforcement possibilities before national courts and authorities, and as such will be a valuable source for all practitioners, policy makers and academics working in the field of unfair trade law. Ultimately the aim of the book is to expound a sound interpretation of the relationship between unfair trade law and competition law in Europe, and it therefore engages in an original examination of these two cornerstones of European economic law. The author argues that unfair trade law and competition law should be understood as 'living apart together' - complementary but autonomous and sometimes even conflicting.

Incorporating a mix of seminal and modern cases and materials, this casebook delivers broad coverage of trademarks, unfair competition, and business torts, with ample material on the role of technology. Practice problems in each chapter encourage students to think like practitioners. Ideal for courses on Trademark Law, Unfair Competition, or Business Torts, this casebook features: a broad examination of current trademark and unfair competition law outstanding coverage of false advertising law extensive treatment of the "hot news" doctrine (misappropriation), including the most recent cases a thoughtful survey of business torts, including cases that address tortious interference, trade libel, and related torts such as RICO dynamic pedagogy that spans cutting-edge cases and materials, notes, questions, and hands-on practice problems