Global law firms targeted by Chinese cyber-squatter
Law firms are among a wide range of businesses that may find their brands being used without permission in China.
At least three global law firms have found their names being used in China due to the country’s ‘first-to-register’ trademark system and the challenging route to resolve others using their brand.
Squire Patton Boggs,
Norton Rose Fulbright and Osborne Clarke are all registered to a technology company called Qinhuangdao Hongshun and a domain registry check finds that the company lists the administrative contact for squirepattonboggs.net as
[email protected]
The Law Society Gazette has highlighted the issue and Norton Rose Fulbright told them that the issue has been resolved. The domain norton-rose-fulbright.com domain does now show as registered to the law firm and diverts to its official website.
However, Squires said that it was aware of the issue and was working on a solution and to minimize “any unlikely confusion this illegitimate activity could cause in that market.”
Herbert Smith Freehills advises on significant retail centre sales
Lawyers from Herbert Smith Freehills in Brisbane and Sydney have advised LaSalle Funds Management on the sale of two retail centres in Sydney to Aventus Retail Property.
The $436 million deal for Home Hub Castle Hill and Home Hub Marsden Park, is significant for Sydney’s metropolitan retail market and represented a weighted average capitalisation rate of 5.60 per cent.
The HSF team was led by Brisbane partner Kerry Heilbronn and consultant David Stitt, assisted by Sydney-based senior associate Anna Williams.
Linklaters achieves carbon neutral status
Global law firm Linklaters has reached carbon neutral status having invested in a cookstove project in Ghana to offset its unavoidable carbon emissions from its operations.
The firm has reduced its carbon footprint by 30 per cent compared to 2010, cut carbon emissions from waste by 76 per cent and sources 65 per cent of its electricity from renewable supplies.
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