Alumni club Harvard Club of Singapore has been unsuccessful in its bid to stop Harvard University from registering two trademarks in Singapore.
In a decision published on October 17, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) rejected the alumni club's arguments that the university could not register two trademarks, 'Harvard Club of Singapore' and 'Harvard University Club of Singapore'.
The club had based its opposition on the grounds that both marks were applied for in bad faith and that the club's goodwill attached to Harvard Club of Singapore would be damaged if either mark was allowed to proceed to registration.
The Harvard Club of Singapore was previously recognised by the university as the official Harvard club in Singapore. However, in 2015, the university terminated its relationship with the club and revoked its status as a recognised Harvard alumni club.
The office said this was "powerful evidence" that the club "did not regard itself as an independent rights holder in respect of 'Harvard' or 'Harvard Club of Singapore'".
Source: Wipr
