No Diana image trade mark

[ann diego <wheatand@ici.net>]

From: Alan Story , Brookline, Ma. 

The "pro public domain" forces have won a victory. BBC Online News has
reported today (Feb. 4) that the Trade Mark (UK spelling) section of the
British Patent Office rejected the application from the Princess of Wales
Memorial Fund for a trade mark in the image of Princess Diana.

    The story is available at BBC Online at:

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_272000/272380.stm

    The BBC story does not mention if the Patent Office has ruled on
whether the name "Princess Diana" will be accepted as a trade mark; I think
that decision is still to come. 

    I did an article, published in the Web Journal of Current Legal Issues
in December 1998, that provides some background to the issue. It is
available at:   

http://webjcli.ncl.ac.uk/1998/issue5/story5.html


Cheers,

Alan Story
University of Hull (UK) Law School (on leave) 
Brookline, Ma.