What do you think of the UK designs system?
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has launched a call for views on the designs system. It says this will “help us better...
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Jan 29, 20222 min read
What's the risk of filing a takedown notice?
A legal action for unjustified threats is a serious risk that trade mark owners run when making allegations of infringement, including by...
Nov 20, 20212 min read
A Christmas miracle: Designs, confidential information and contracts
What connects Leonardo Da Vinci, a Christmas miracle and the possible award of exemplary damages? The answer lies in a recent High Court...
Nov 20, 20212 min read
When can Parts of a Ferrari be protected as Unregistered Designs?
When can component parts of a product be protected as unregistered Community designs (UCDs)? The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU)...
Nov 5, 20213 min read
Therapists go to court over ARCHANGEL ALCHEMY mark
We recently reported on the Litecoin case where an application to register a trade mark was found to constitute passing off (see blog...
Nov 5, 20211 min read
The United Arab Emirates to join the Madrid System
Good news for international trade mark filing! On 28 September, 2021, the United Arab Emirates Government and WIPO announced that the UAE...
Oct 4, 20212 min read
Unreasonable behaviour leads to IPEC costs award
In early 2021, Deputy High Court Judge David Stone (sitting in the IP Enterprise Court, IPEC) in a dispute over the use of the name...
Oct 4, 20212 min read
A rotten judgment for John Lydon
Who has the power to control the use of the Sex Pistols IP rights? That was essentially the question decided by Sir Anthony Mann in Jones...
Oct 4, 20212 min read
Moral rights claim bound to fail
Moral rights disputes don’t come to court very often, so Mrs Justice O’Farrell’s judgment in The Front Door (UK) Lt (t/a Richard Reid...
Sep 27, 20214 min read
Rare defeat for easyGroup
easyGroup, which owns the IP rights for companies such as easyJet and easyHotel, has been active, and largely successful, in bringing...
Sep 27, 20212 min read
Court of Appeal divided over disclosure
Can confidential discussions between parties in the UK be disclosed in parallel litigation in the US? The Court of Appeal was divided on...
Sep 27, 20212 min read
Speedy justice in design case
In what may be a record for an IP case in the UK, the trial in Lutec (UK) Ltd & Ors v Cascade Holdings Ltd & Anor [2021] EWHC 1907 (Pat)...
Sep 2, 20213 min read
Descriptive marks beware: Judge rejects Oatly trade mark case
Oatly has hit a brick wall in its attempt to stop third parties from selling oat milk using the word "OAT" plus the letter "Y". A...
Sep 2, 20211 min read
The post-Brexit clock is ticking - don't miss out!
We first wrote about the impact of Brexit on UK trade marks over a year ago. We are now over 6 months in since the UK's departure from...
Aug 5, 20213 min read
SKY brings good news for broad trade marks
A common trade mark filing strategy in the UK and EU is to file a broad trade mark specification. A broad specification makes enforcement...
Jul 29, 20212 min read
Mwah! Lipstick shape registered as EU trade mark
In a decision likely to be welcomed by owners of 3D trade marks, the EU General Court has ruled that the shape of Guerlain’s Rouge G...
Jul 22, 20212 min read
MILEY CYRUS gets name mark through in EU
A recent decision of the EU General Court looks like good news for celebrities. The singer Miley Cyrus had applied to register her name...
Jul 22, 20213 min read
Wonder Woman comes down to earth
The UK IPO, at least, seems resistant to Wonder Woman’s superpowers, after it rejected DC Comics’ opposition to a trade mark application...
Jul 5, 20213 min read
Check before you threaten, warns HHJ Clarke
There’s rarely been a better example of the risks of launching litigation without careful consideration than the recent IPEC decision in...
Jul 3, 20212 min read
What happened to Colin the Caterpillar & what does it mean for your brand?
We take legal research very seriously - in order to fully understand the implications of the most tasty dispute of the year, Colin vs...
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