For this task, you need to produce a poster or infographic (one side of A3 or A4) to explain what can and cannot be registered as a trade mark in the UK.
Max 1100 words (no more than one page)
• The size limit is A3 and the poster should be one side only. The work should not exceed the one size/page limit provided.
• The poster/ infographic can be portrait or landscape – the choice is yours.
You may use an online custom template if you like but, before you spend hours creating your poster/ infographic, please be careful to ensure that you can download your final design without having to pay for it. Please note that Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Publisher can be used to.
How your poster or infographic will be marked
• The poster/ infographic will be scored out of 100. Marks will be awarded as follows:
o Out of 50 for content.
o Out of 50 for presentation and referencing.
Some general notes on content
• The poster should focus on trade mark registrability, to include the definition of a trade mark, the absolute grounds for refusal of registration and the relative grounds for refusal of registration.
• The poster does not need to include information about historical background, procedural aspects, costs or infringement.
• This is a legal assessment and so your poster needs legal content. It should include relevant statutory provisions and key cases so that the reader can refer to them for further information. When deciding whether a case needs to be included, ask yourself whether it has set a legal precedent in terms of the registrability requirements. A good example of such a case is Sieckmann v Deutsches Patent-und Markenamt (Case C-273/00) ECR I-I1737.
• The poster/ infographic should include key points and then signpost the reader to where they can find additional information, such as the IPO website and its Manual of Trade Marks Practice. Remember that whilst QR Codes are a great idea, not everyone has a smart phone and so web addresses should always be included as well.
The link below provides lot of tips and examples of how to produce a good poster and therefore will be really beneficial to the writer.
Think carefully about the layout of the poster or infographic. Is it visually pleasing?
• You should think about how you can make connections between items on the poster through the use of graphics, numbering, pathways, etc. This way, the reader has a clear route through each of the sections.
• The poster/ infographic will need a title. Make sure it accurately reflects the poster content and that it stands out in terms of placement, font size and colour.
• Headings should be used because these emphasise key points.
• Think carefully about the text that you use. Is it legible? Think about choice of font, size, colour, and spacing. Try to keep to the same font throughout (or stick to two different fonts if you would like a change). Remember that whilst colour is important for visual appeal, too many colours can be difficult to read and so aim to use a maximum of two or three colours only.
• Think carefully about the graphics/ diagrams/ pictures that are used. Do they serve a purpose? Are they relevant?
Please make sure you attribute any images that aren’t yours. The attribution should be immediately below the image but can be in a smaller font size. If you are using an online custom template or Microsoft shapes or SmartArt, their design features do not need to be attributed.
*IMPORTANT* Referencing- The sources should be referenced. This should be done by including a ‘References’ section/ box in the poster itself (not on a separate page). This should include books, articles and websites. It should not include the handouts or other module materials.
• Legislation does not need to be included in the ‘References’ section/ box but you do need to refer to specific section numbers/ subsections and paragraphs from the Trade Marks Act 1994 in the main body of the poster itself.
• You need to include case citations and the easiest way to include them is immediately after the case name. For example, please see the reference to the Sieckmann case above. There is no need to include cases in the ‘References’ section/ box.
• Websites should be referenced as you would for a bibliography. For example, if you have referred to the IPO Manual of Trade Marks Practice, you would include it in your ‘References’ section/ box as follows:
Gov.UK, ‘Manual of Trade Marks Practice’ (14 January 2019)
• Books and articles should also be referenced as you would for a bibliography.
• Examples of ‘References’ sections/ boxes can be seen in the poster examples in the guide referred to above. The link is provided below again.
