Klimkevičiūtė, Danguolė

This research consisted of search and analysis of the relevant legal framework for regulation of trade dress protection through trademark law and review of the respective elaborated court practice, which specify and shed a light on the application of the two main requirements for trade dress protection – distinctiveness and non-functionality criterions. The research also envisages the comparison between the trade dress protection across different jurisdictions, namely the USA, the EU and Ukraine. The scope of research includes the trade dress protection in the USA since the trade dress protection originates from there, while the EU and Ukraine were analysed to find out how the concept introduced by the Common law can be utilised in countries of Continental law. The research, in particular, includes analysis of the theoretical background by means of considering the opinions on the matter of trade dress protection expressed by famous scholars and practitioners. This was intended to find out whether there are any topical issues in the realm of trade dress protection and which problems may respectively arise while applying this regime. The findings of the research provided a possibility to conclude that trade dress protection is stipulated in the same manner across different jurisdictions, however with some specificities depending on jurisdiction.

In this research it is provided an analysis of existing approaches to notion “website” and to its elements. The main and the most valuable elements of the website, such as design, software, content, domain name and database are subjected to analysis and their legal nature is determined. Also in this research it is provided presentation of existing practice of contracts on development and maintenance of website, as well as recommendations to formation of their provision and content, which are based on the analysis of actual nature of relations and actual necessities of the parties.

2013 m. Susitariančių valstybių pasirašytas BPT susitarimas atvėrė kelią dar vienos regioninės teismų sistemos sukūrimui. Šiame darbe yra atskleidžiami kuriamo BPT teisinio reguliavimo probleminiai aspektai, kurie sukuria teisinį neapibrėžtumą. Nagrinėjamos pereinamojo laikotarpio nuostatos bei analizuojamos problemos, kylančios iš BPT susitarimo 83 str. ir išimtinės BPT jurisdikcijos taikymo atsisakymo. Įvertintos galimos problemos dėl vertimų reikalavimų ir kalbos bei BPT teisėjų skyrimo problematika. Taip pat analizuojami „patentų trolių“ ir palankiausio jurisdikcijos teismo pasirinkimo reiškiniai BPT teisinio reguliavimo aspektu. Analizė atskleidė, kad nežiūrint dabar vyraujančios laukimo nuotaikos, pasibaigus pereinamajam periodui BPT nusvers dabar veikiančių nacionalinių ir regioninių patentų ginčų nagrinėjimo Europoje trūkumus. O pagrindiniai nustatytų problemų sprendimo būdai yra tinkamų teisėjų atranka ir mokymas, aiškiai ir nedviprasmiškai parengtos BPT proceso taisyklės bei nuosekli teismų praktika.

The subject-matter of the dissertation is the specifics of the legal regulation and protection of well-known trademarks and trademarks with a reputation. The most significant issues are analyzed using the comparative method of analysis: the situations existing within the EU Member States are compared and a legal analysis of the status in Lithuania is presented. The research focuses on the conception of protection of those trademarks, the problem of interrelation of the concepts of well-known trademarks and trademarks with a reputation, the trends of legal regulation in the EU, the analysis of criteria which must be fulfilled by a trademark in order for it to be provided with the protection of well-known trademark or trademark with a reputation, the problem of the boundaries of protection and the relation thereof to the problem of bad faith as separate grounds, the critical analysis of the judgments of the ECJ, as well as relevant procedural questions. Problems of the legal protection of well-known trademarks and trademarks with a reputation are analyzed inter alia from a practical perspective, i.e. taking into consideration and evaluating the problems faced by courts when hearing cases relating to the legal protection of well-known trademarks and trademarks with a reputation. The research also provides an assessment of possible solutions through amendments of legal regulation and practice in order to ensure a balance of the rights of the parties to a dispute and secure the conditions for greater legal certainty.