French luxury shoe designer Christian Louboutin’s legendary red-soled high-heeled shoes have received a trade mark in various countries. The outsoles of the shoes are red in colour, using a red pigment called Pantone 18 1663TP. The fashion house has also won several infringement cases in this regard.

Shape Mark

Coca-Cola Co. has a registered trademark for its Cola bottles. The shape of Toblerone chocolates and Zippo lighters is also trademarked.

Store Design and Layout

Apple Inc. has registered the layout of its retail stores as a trademark.

Landmark Building

Chrysler Building and Empire State Building in New York City are both registered trademarks in USA.

Motion Mark

The European Union has granted a trademark to Lamborghini for its car doors that open and turn upwards.

Some other types of non-conventional trademarks are gesture, touch, taste, hologram marks, etc.

Other Non-Conventional Intellectual Property Rights

Non-Conventional Intellectual Property Rights exist beyond Trademark too. In a recent US Case, the court declared that the defendants, Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams had infringed Marvin Gaye’s song “Got To Give It Up’ (the plaintiffs being Marvin Gaye’s heir). In a first for the world of copyrights, the similarity between the songs is not within the melody, lyrics or harmony, but rather in the overall sound, groove, and vibe. On appeal the court’s decision was reinforced and the plaintiff was awarded damages of $7.4 million.