Feb 272 minHow should an IP licence agreement be interpreted?What happens when two parties cannot agree about the interpretation of an IP licence agreement? This question was recently examined by...
Feb 272 minWhat 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...
Jan 292 minWhat'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 minWhen 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 minTherapists go to court over ARCHANGEL ALCHEMY markWe 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 minThe United Arab Emirates to join the Madrid SystemGood news for international trade mark filing! On 28 September, 2021, the United Arab Emirates Government and WIPO announced that the UAE...
Nov 5, 20212 min'Green' trade marks on the rise We’ve all become more conscious of climate change and other environmental issues over the past 25 years – and that can be seen in the...
Oct 4, 20212 minUnreasonable behaviour leads to IPEC costs awardIn 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 minA rotten judgment for John LydonWho 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...
Sep 27, 20214 minRare defeat for easyGroupeasyGroup, which owns the IP rights for companies such as easyJet and easyHotel, has been active, and largely successful, in bringing...
Sep 27, 20212 minCourt of Appeal divided over disclosureCan 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 minSpeedy justice in design caseIn 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 minDescriptive marks beware: Judge rejects Oatly trade mark caseOatly 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, 20213 minCheers to a rare EAGLE trade mark decisionThis Court of Appeal decision is a helpful reminder that a lack of evidence of actual confusion is not necessarily fatal to a finding of...
Aug 5, 20213 minSKY brings good news for broad trade marksA 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 minMwah! Lipstick shape registered as EU trade markIn 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 minMILEY CYRUS gets name mark through in EUA 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 minWonder Woman comes down to earthThe 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 minCheck before you threaten, warns HHJ ClarkeThere’s rarely been a better example of the risks of launching litigation without careful consideration than the recent IPEC decision in...
Jul 3, 20212 minWhat 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...