Article Type : Research Article
Authors : Karim Mousa Al-Sarayrah AA, Mohammad Al Wahshat Z and Shafiq Al-Freihat M
Keywords : Trademark; Jordanian legislations; Foreign investment; Trade exchange; Sustainable; Development
Aim: This study aims to explain the entity
of a trademark, its commercial trademark standards and judicial applications
involved, the effect of trademark protection on attraction of foreign
investments, aspects of trademark which attracts foreign investments within
Jordanian and international legislations and the position of Jordanian law
towards the famous and infamous trademark in protection without distinction.
Implications: The trademark has become the
center of attention to all countries including Jordan, and due to expansion in
its use among products and services, countries and governments including Jordan
decided to form legislations and laws organizing this purpose which guarantee
the rights of all to attract foreign investments, taking into consideration the
rapid technological development which influences expansion of the trademark and
attraction of foreign investments, as this study shows the legal framework of
the trademark and legal protection to it.
Method: The researcher adopted the
descriptive analytical method in the study to achieve the desired goals through
the use of previous studies, laws, legislations, world and Jordanian agreements
organizing this topic.
Results: The study reached a number of
results including: firstly, the trademark legal provisions in the Paris
Agreement (1883), the TRIPS Agreement (1994), the Trademark Law No. (33) of the
year (1952), and the Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Law No. (15) year
(2000) worked to protect trademarks, which helps attract foreign investments to
Jordan. Secondly, expansion of the framework of protection of a trademark in
Paris Agreement, where it extended to include the service mark side by side to
a trademark and industry mark, and its registration and use include similar and
different products and thirdly, Jordanian Trademark Law No. (34) of 1999
regarding trademark protection and preventing the registration of a trademark
that is similar or identical, or shapes another trademark, or the use of
another similar trademark upon registration that imitates international
agreements, which upholds attracting foreign investments to Jordan.
Extent of the importance of the trademark appears
within the commercial exchange on the national and international level,
especially with the existence of the rapid technological development. From here
the country strived to keep pace with this progress in light of highlighting
the trademark which represented an indication to the symbolism of commercial,
development and economic competition, as it is characterized by originality and
quality in providing productions and services, which makes it in need of
integrated legal system protecting it and preventing it in light of the rapid
technological era [1]. The trademark has become a specific symbol and
indication throughout ten ancient, medieval and modern eras, in addition to its
rapid development since the beginning of nineteenth century at the national and
international level. Jordanian Trademark Law No. (34) of (1999) in the Article
No.(2) defined trademark as “Every apparent sign that everyone uses or wants to
use to distinguish their goods,
productions or services from others’,. In addition, Jordanian legislator
obliges in Jordanian Trademark Law to register the trademark, names of its
owners, their addresses and any changes happened in (Financing, transfer of
ownership, assignment, license), in addition to the modern objective conditions
that the amended law introduced, the most important of which is what is related
to suitability of the trademark required to be registered [2].
The trademark is considered one of the most important
elements of commercial property of the commercial projects and service, which
plays its role in distinguishing, developing and sustaining these projects
through the guarantee it grants which distinguishes it from other projects
competent projects, as it attracts foreign investments to Jordan, supplies it
with hard currency and opens new markets, which leads to positive effects
whether they are economic or development. The trademark is considered one of the
most important moral elements of the commercial and service project through
what it rants its owners of complete property rights (right of use,
exploitation, legally permissible behaviour), as it is considered intangible
movable property that has a high economic value
[3]. The trademark is considered a mean to protect innovation and legal
competition of economic and service projects. Based on this importance, all
national and international legislations gave importance to it, and protected it
from any offensive falls on its right of ownership such as intellectual
property rights and protecting it from counterfeiting, imitation and unfair
competition.
Study problem
The study problem is represented in showing the adequacy of Jordanian legislations in protecting the trademark to attract foreign investments as it is considered a branch of intellectual property, in addition to its prominent role in distinguishing productions and services which requires legislations and agreements organizing it in order to unify procedures of registrations inside Jordan, and allow a foreigner to register his trademark. As the study problem emerges in the following questions:
Study objectives
The study aims to:
Importance of the study lies in increasing of economic
and development value of trademark, as well as it is a mark of distinguishing
goods and services in order to prevent imitation or counterfeiting. The
position of Jordanian legislation from setting standards that significantly
define trademark affects in legal competition protection, because legal
competition protection is consider one of the most important reasons to impose
legal protection for trademark, as it is considered a first-class marketing and
attraction tool, since it represents an attraction element on the one hand, and
the producer’s personality or identity on the other hand.
Previous studies
A study by Shanan & Qutaishat entitled “Aspects of
civil protection to repel electronic infringement on trademark in Jordan law, a
comparative study with the American law”, aimed to investigate aspects of civil
protection to repel electronic infringement on trademark in Jordan and American
law, and show the followed civil methods in case it is electronically infringed
by the internet. The study reached a number of results, the most important of
which is “Jordan legislation provided protection to trademark, but it did not
define conditions for similarity and conformity of the types of the mark and
the legal period to cancel a registered trademark in bad faith”, while the
American legislator has guaranteed and ensured civil protection for trademark
electronically, whether it is registered or unregistered with a legislation throughout
several legal legislations like Trademark Misrepresentation Prcaseion Act”. The
study recommended the need to amend the Article No. (34) of Jordanian Trademark
Protection Law No.(33) of (1952) and its amendments. Al-Sayyed conducted a
study entitled “Travel bloggers’ use of Instagram and its relationship to
building and marketing a personal branding (a qualitative study)”, aimed to
focus on travel bloggers’ use of Instagram, how they understand, build, market,
and maintain a personal brand, and promote themselves throughout contents
published on their accounts on Instagram [4]. The researcher relied on model of
building original self -trademark, and the theory of presentation coming from
interviews. The study concluded that “the process of showing trademark on
Instagram consists of three stages: extraction, expression and promotion”. The
study recommended that it is necessary to redefine terms of American trademark
and explain them to give a common understanding.
A study by Allam entitled “entitled “The impact of
employer trademark on talent management (an applied study on Egyptian
commercial banks) [5].” The study aimed to determine the elements of applying
the bank trademark and its impact on talent management (attracting, developing,
retaining) with talent, which was applied to each of the following banks:
(National Bank, Bank of Egypt, Commercial International Bank), where banks on
the list of the best (150) trademarks banking in the world. The researcher
adopted designing a questionnaire consisting of (337) items from employees in
those banks. The study reached a number of results, the most important of which
is “the availability of trademarks components of the banks in question, which
are (social and economic values, benefits), and the least of them are
(development values and application), according to the values of the arithmetic
mean, in addition to “the presence of a moral effect for each of the values
(social, economic, benefits, development), and “the absence of amoral effect of
the value of application on talent management in the banks under study.” The
study recommended that it is essential to improve the banks’ brand and
strengthen their role in attracting, developing and retaining talent.
To achieve the desired goals of the study, the
researcher adopted the descriptive analytical method since it suits the nature,
problem and the addressed questions of this study through the use of previous
studies, laws, legislations, world and Jordanian agreements organizing the
topic of the study.
First topic
Legal framework of trademark
Trademark is considered one of the most prominent and
important aspects of intellectual property for pioneering economic and
development projects of national and international fame with strong link that
distinguished it from other competent projects as it has a prominent and
effective impact in bringing foreign investments to Jordan, and tending to
products and services representing those projects, so trademarks are divided
into (individual trademark, collective trademark and famous trademark) [6]. Based on this apparent importance,
Jordanian legislator worked to pay attention to trademark by concluding
legislation regulating it, especially in the Jordanian Trademarks Law No. (33)
Issued in the (1952), along with the Trademarks System of (1952) and the Goods
Law of (1953). The Amended Trademark Law No. 34 of (1999), the Amended
Trademark Law No. 37 of 2000, and the Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Law
No. 15 of (2000), along with international agreements “Paris Agreement.” issued
in (1883), and the TRIPS Agreement issued in (1994), within the framework of
protecting it from similarity and theft and preventing others from using it on
products and services similar to it [7]. The trademark must be guaranteed in
laws, legislations and agreements organizing them to facilitate attracting
foreign investments, go to make essential amendments related its protection
, follow the methods organizing its
registration, keep pace with the increasing technological development at the
national and international level in light of the increasing competition between
provided products, services and work to impose strict punishments on everyone
who infringes the trademark and protect economic and development projects which
enhances attraction of foreign investment and hard currency.
First requirements
Essence
of legal trademark
A trademark is defined as “Every sign or indication
that a merchant or a maker sets on products he sells or produces, and aims to
facilitate identifying the source of selling productions or main them, as it
should not mix with other similar goods in markets which makes it easy to be
defined by customers or those who deal with it [8]. It is “every apparent,
distinguished and interesting form realized by sight in case it is being used
or to be used in distinguishing goods, products or services whether it refers
to a normal person or a legal one, who possessed this trademark due to its
manufacture, selection, trading or to indicate performing a specific service”,
taking into consideration that the promoted sound is a part of it in case it
accompanied it, in addition to all ( names, words, symbols, signatures,
letters, numbers, drawings, addresses, seals, stamps, inscriptions,
announcements and packaging), and any other signs capable of written embodiment
[9]. While Jordanian legislation defined in Jordanian Trademark Law No. (34) of
(1999) in the Article (2) a trademark as “Every apparent sign that everyone
uses or wants to use to distinguish his goods, products or services from
others’ ones .
First section:
Importance of a legal trademark
Importance of legal trademark appears as follows:
Second section: Forms of
legal trademarks
Image of a trademark are shown based on the text of
the Article No. (7/1) of Jordanian Trademark Law No. (34) of 1999 which stated
that “To register a trademark, it is required that it have a distinctive
characteristic in terms of names, letters, numbers, shapes, colours, etc., or
any other group of it, and can be recognized by sight.” . It is clear from the
text of the article that the trademark takes characteristics that distinguish
it from others, in order that consumers will not fall into fraud and deception
during the purchasing process of products and services they want to benefit
from. By first looking at the trademark, original products and services can be
distinguished from the counterfeit ones.
Trademarks take the following images and forms:
Second requirement
Trademark
registration and its legal consequences
Talking about trademark registration requires and its
legal consequences to competent departments knowledge in this from the owner of
a right, in addition to required conditions beginning the trademark that may be
registered, all the way to the legal effects resulting from registration
process, as there should be subjective conditions and other form ones in order
that a trademark has legal protection which are summarized as follows:
First section: Subjective conditions to register a trademark
Second section: Formal conditions to register a trademark
Second topic
Legal
protection of a trademark
Importance of a legal protection of a trademark is
based on the presence of a number of prominent risks emerging from strict commitment
to requirements of principle of regionalism, as the most important risks are
emergence of imitation of goods and services, and restriction of protection to
geographical borders of states enabled imitators to reproduce copies, works,
products and services without any responsibility. Thus, the negative position
led to obligation of protecting a trademark at the local and international
level. Protection of a trademark lied in abandoning principle of regionalism
and heading towards following legal proper methods to protect a trademark, as
some of them is directed by the world agreements in Paris issued in
(1883), TRIPS Agreement in (1994),
Illegal Competition Law and Trade Secrets No.(15) of (2000) and Jordanian Trade
Currency Law No. (33) of (1952), as these laws came to explain ambiguity about
determining trademark standards, since the reason behind illegal competition is
one of the arguments of protection of a trademark, and focusing on parties that
those legislations and agreements seeking to protect them representing in the
owner of a trademark, and the other party is customers’ protection to products
and services.
First
requirement
International
framework for trademark protection to attract foreign investment
International agreements, as the first of them was
Paris Agreement (20/3/1883), concerning subjects of a trademark, emerged to protect all trademarks, so this
agreement was the start point to reach TRIPS Agreement “Agreement of aspects
related to trade from individual property rights”, which came as a result of
international economic development, as it is a sub-result of the main agreement
WOT, World Organization Treaty, signed on (15/4/1994), and since Jordan joined
it in (2000), it agreed on TRIPS Agreement of (2004).
First
section: Leal protection of a trademark in light of Paris Agreement issued in
(1883)
Paris Agreement for protection of industrial property is applied to intellectual rights in its broadest sense, as it treated the subject of a trademark in Article No. (6/2) which stated as follows [16]:
Second
Section: Leal protection of a trademark in light of TRIPS Agreement issued in
(1994)
Second requirement
Legal
protection to a trademark according to Jordanian legislation
When
talking about legal protection of a
trademark and its license use contract between the owner of a trademark and the
licensed, we find that legal protection of a trademark falls within the penal
framework and the right to exploit it through civil and penal protection, and
not allow any individual to assault it in order to facilitate trade works,
support Jordanian economy, prevent any assault towards exploitation of legal
protection of TRIPS trademark, and this was included in the agreement of
aspects related to trade to intellectual property rights (TRIPS) to oblige all
member states to amend legislations to go with items and articles of the
agreement to achieve legal protection to trademarks . Since Jordan is a member
of World Trade Organization, it obliges Jordan to adapt the related regulating
legislations (TRIPS), and within the framework of penal protection in legislation
to protect a trademark that goes with
Jordanian agreement, we find that it gives the right to file a penal lawsuit in
case of occurrence of an assault to the licensee of a trademark (owner of a
trademark) alone as well as the licensed, since this right is given to the
registered trademark only (that acquired the status of protection) because it
is legally registered, and according to the regulating instructions in the
Jordanian Trademark Law . Whereas when talking about civil protection of a
trademark, the right to use it and the right of the owner of a trademark to
licensee or the licensed to in not assault to a trademark, the legal principle
of the Jordanian Civil Law confirmed in the text of Article No. (256) on that
“Every harm to another obligates the perpetrator to be liable.” Jordanian
legislator considered assault to a trademark and the right to use it within the
framework of illegal competition, and any harm to it is considered an
application of the provisions of tort liability in not registering it by its
owner and that he has the right to protect his mark from infringement by
resorting to civil lawsuits [19].
First section: legal protection of
a trademark according to unfair competition and trade secrets no. (15) of
(2000)
Unfair
competition case is considered the only way of a trademark in order to avoid
criticisms that Jordanian legislator has encountered in the Jordanian Trademark
Law, so the unfair competitive case, depending on unfair Competition Law which
considered one of the guarantees of a trademark protection regardless whether
it is registered or not, and the law granted stakeholders the request of
compensation for the damage they have suffered resulted from unfair
competition. Referring to Unfair Competition Law and Trade Secrets, we find
that Jordanian legislator defined unfair competition as” Every competition that
contradicts with competition in industrial and trade affairs is considered an
act of a field of unfair competition”. Given the Jordanian legislator’s
definition of unfair competition, we find that he was highly influenced with
world agreements especially Paris Agreement to protect industrial property, and
he exchanged the word habits with prevents, while judiciary defined unfair
competition according to Jordanian Court of Cassation as “Any prevent that may
undermine the reputation of the product, lead to confusion regarding its
external appearance, or mislead the public.
In
order that unfair competition lawsuit has to be filed against a trademark
infringement, the elements of civil liability mentioned in the text of Article
No. (256) of the Jordanian Civil Law No. (43) of (1976) must exists, which are
(the act, the damage, and the causal relationship between them). Whereas the
Jordanian Civil Law requires that the act be harmful, that is, that there be an
act, damage, and a causal relationship, in order that liability has to occur,
in other words, it is a condition for an unfair competition lawsuit to be
created, as it needs the existence of harmful, and unfair competition between
them in commercial affairs, where the goal behind competition is to attract
consumers and foreign investments to a specific type of (products and
services). Competitive competition is “not resorting to misleading methods to
cause trade harm for others”, and by referring to the text of Article No. (2)
of Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Law No. (15) of 2000, we find that they
show images of assaulting on a trademark throughout illegal methods lie in the
followings :
“A-Every illegal competition contravenes with noble prevents in industrial and trade affairs is considered an act of unfair competitions, where these doing these acts requires punishment:
B-“If
unfair competition is related to a used trademark whether it is registered or
not which leads to misleading the public.”
When
reading the legal text, it becomes clear that illegal acts have evolved with
temporal and technological development, making it difficult to limit. If the
dispute is presented to the judicial authority, the judge of the matter has the
discretionary authority, in order to consider the act to be an illegal one to
keep pace with what is introduced to him in court. The Court of Cassation’s
oversight does not extend to the discretionary authority of the judge of the
matter, so the Court of Cassation is itself the court of law and does not
consider the origin of the case, while it considers what was found to be a
violation of the main rules of law in a manner of complexity. The text of the
article in item (b) was fair to the trademark owner, as it did not require
registration in order to file an unfair competition lawsuit. It stated that the
trademark whether it is registered or unregistered, misleading the public, is
unfair competition for the trademark.
To
file an unfair competition lawsuit based on the act of infringement (the
harmful act) is not possible, and there must be damage resulting from the
harmful act, which affects the trademark owner, and without there being damage,
the element of interest is not available, and so the lawsuit is dismissed. The
forms of damage are represented in (the damage that affects the owner of the
trademark in his property, the moral damage that affects the owner of the
trademark in his reputation, dignity and honour. It is required compensation
for the damage to be real and estimated, and it is not probable. The causal
relationship between the harmful act and the damage is considered the causal
link between the damage that happens. According to the act of infringement of
the trademark owner, i.e. the damage results from this act, and the lack of a
causal link between the damage and the act of infringement results in the
lawsuit being dismissed because the cause is not found.
Second section: Legal protection of
a trademark according to Jordanian Trademark Law No. (33) of 1952.
Article
No. (26/1/B) of Jordanian Trademarks Law stated that “If a trademark is famous
and unregistered, its owner has the right to ask the competent court to stop
others from using it related to products, similar or different services
provided that the use if this mark indicates a link between those products or services
and the famous trademark, and the possibility of occurrence of confusion when
using an identical famous trademark on similar products. The legal text treats
the supposition of others’ use of a trademark whether it is registered or not,
and in this case the owner of the trademark has the right to submit a request
to the competent court to prevent such this infringement, as “others” means
“everyone uses the trademark without permission from its owner”. In order that
the owner of a trademark is able to prevent others, he must prove that there is
a relation between products, services and trademarks, and in case there is no
relation, the owner is not able to prevent others to use it, and others usage
should lead to harm to the interest of the owners of trademarks [20].
In
addition to Jordanian jurisprudence, it was created before amending the
Trademark Law of 1999 that owner of a trademark registered abroad, used and
known in Jordan, he has the right to object to the registration of any mark
identical to his mark in the Jordan if it would lead to plagiarism, fraud and
Encouraging unfair competition, as it is not required to object to a trademark
by registering it in Jordan.
The
Supreme Court of Justice was previously stated in its ruling: “The user of a trademark
has the right to request that the registered trademark in the name of another
person if it is proven that there is a similarity between the two marks that
may lead to fraud, as the use of the trademark was before registration date of
the trademark wanted to be deleted and does not exceed four years [21-33].
The current study investigated the adequacy of Jordanian legislations in protecting the trademark to attract foreign investments as it is considered a branch of intellectual property, in addition to its prominent role in distinguishing productions. After analyzing the data and answering the study questions, the following major conclusions were reached:
Based
on the above results, the following recommendations were presented: The
importance of Jordanian legislation linking trademarks on the one hand, and the
methods leading to that, especially the method of the trademark owner or
someone in his position in the process of external encouragement of the
trademark in order to enhance foreign investment, The Jordanian legislator must
work to link the brand and its promotion methods in order to attract foreign
investment into the local economy and it is important to add legal provisions
to the Jordanian trademark law to promote the reputation of the brand, which
contributes to attracting foreign investment.