Terms & Use
Is Tiffany setting a generic term, like pilates, elevator, or, most recently, app store? Or does it belong exclusively to Tiffany, as the retailer’s lawyers argue? A Jan. 20 court opinion didn’t answer that question, although Judge Laura Swain did say that a “genuine factual dispute” exists over the issue, and the home of the little Blue Box didn’t seem too happy about it. The ruling stemmed from a motion by Costco, which in 2013 was sued for selling rings inaccurately marked as Tiffany. Legal analysts said the ruling increases the chances the suit will settle.
Canada Market
Alamy
Dominion Diamond Corp. is planning sales of CanadaMark-branded gems. The website will be B-to-B, said spokesman Richard Chetwode; its debut is planned around June’s JCK Las Vegas show.
The news was first reported in Bloomberg.com. Dominion CEO Bob Gannicott told the news service the online platform would help the company recover insight into market prices it lost after selling Harry Winston to Swatch Group Ltd. in 2013.
CanadaMark, which certifies a diamond’s Canadian origin, was developed by ex–Ekati mine owner BHP Billiton. Dominion obtained its rights when purchasing the Ekati mine in 2013. Dominion owns Ekati as well as 40 percent of the Diavik mine, both in Canada’s Northwest Territories.