The government of Fiji says it is contesting the trademark of the word “bula”, which was registered by an American company operating a chain of bars in Florida called Bula Nation.
“Bula” apparently means “life”, but is used as a greeting and good wishes, and is used only on the island of Fiji.
Calling it a case of “heritage-hijacking”, Fiji said it is preparing legal action against the owner
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad claims to have plagiarised the idea of an upcoming national car brand from the people.
A Kenyan man is claiming credit for a website launched by the country's Ministry of Education earlier this year.
Ministry officials have taken credit for the website, National Education Management Information System (NEMIS), which stores the records of the academic performance of students.
Daniel Kimencu, through his company Bay Concepts Ltd, is demanding compensation, recognition as the cop
Mark Robinson was watching television when he got a rude jolt – his invention, Jolt My Car, had appeared on screen under a different name, marketed by a different company.
South African's Government Communication Information System (GCIS) has been accused of misappropriating a famous photograph of Nelson Mandela. It shows yet again to PitchMark your work to stop such issues from arising.
Paparazzi pose a strange problem to celebrities – they make money off the photos they take of the celebrities, while the celebrities do not make a cent. So it is a kind of poetic justice when celebrities start stealing photos from paparazzi, usually when they copy the photos from the website of a news outlet that has licensed the photos.
Hong Kong's MTR refutes allegations by an app designer that it stole their ideas. Promised to call them to clear things up.
The Malaysian branch of major international advertising agency TBWA has found itself infused in hot water over claims a slogan for a bubble tea franchise was copied from a local motorcycling lifestyle brand.
The slogan "Never fear the strong. Especially strong tea" was recently adopted by Tealife in a major rebranding exercise (forced upon owner Loob Holdings by a dispute dubbed the "bubble tea
Even politics is not immune to idea theft. While political parties generally try to attract voters by being different from other parties, sometimes adopting the policies of others and calling them your own is a better strategy.
Good ideas can make or break a TV show - especially in reality TV. So it's no wonder writers are tempted to copy ideas from already successful shows. But does that make it right?
Rock band U2 is being sued by guitarist Paul Rose for ripping off his sound for their hit track The Fly.
Advertising agencies have long asked prospective clients to pay pitch fees, to compensate them for the time and effort that goes into creating pitches - even if they end up unsuccessful. Singapore's Central Provident Fund is now offering such fees. In general, we don't advocate pitch fees because it could reduce your claim to compensation if you lose a pitch, but your ideas are used anyway.
