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Intellectual Property UK
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October 03, 2025
Execs Not Liable For Infringement Based On Job, UPC Rules
An appeals panel at the Unified Patent Court held Friday that managing directors cannot be liable for a company's patent infringement based only on their "mere position" within the organization, rejecting Philips' bid to hold Belkin executives responsible in a dispute over power technology.
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October 03, 2025
Fossil's Skagen Watches Beats 'Sägen' TM For Eco Jewelry
A Swedish jewelry maker has lost its bid to register a trademark over its company name Sägen, after European officials held that shoppers might be misled into thinking it was related to the Fossil Group's Skagen watch brand.
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October 03, 2025
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen billionaire Michael Platt sue his former tax lawyer, five former Deutsche Bank staffers file claims against the German bank and an Italian financier issue a commercial fraud claim against the Vatican and UBS.
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October 03, 2025
Science Minister Urges Pension Funds To Back Tech Startups
The U.K. government has urged the country's £3.2 trillion ($4.3 trillion) pensions industry to offer financial backing to a new generation of British technology startups.
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October 03, 2025
Dutch Court Drops Crane Co.'s Patent Infringement Case
A transport equipment maker for wind turbines has failed to persuade a Dutch court that it should be able to inspect old evidence in its efforts to verify whether a rival is infringing a patent over the base of a crane used to maintain special turbines.
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October 02, 2025
Tech Retailer Wins UPC Appeal To Switch Off LED Injunction
An appeals panel at the Unified Patent Court on Thursday invalidated a patent for a light-emitting diode chip belonging to a subsidiary of Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd., overturning an injunction it had won against a technology retailer.
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October 02, 2025
Crop Biz Nichino Europe Trumps Rival's 'Interagros' TM
Crop protection company Nichino Europe has succeeded in its challenge to a rival's "Interagros" trademark after European Union officials dismissed an appeal as the company failed to file its arguments on time.
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October 02, 2025
EPO Opens Door For Lawyers To Join Patent Associations
Legal practitioners can now freely form and join associations before representing clients in cases before the European Patent Office, finally placing them on equal footing with other professional representatives as the office works towards its 2028 strategic plans.
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October 02, 2025
Neurim Loses European Patent For Insomnia Drug
A European appeals panel has refused to rekindle Neurim's insomnia drug patent, ruling in a decision released Thursday that officials did not misstep by making passing comments on the patent's validity without hearing the Israeli company's opinion.
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October 02, 2025
Siemens Unit Loses Appeal For 'Teamplay' TM
A subsidiary of Siemens has failed to persuade a European court that it should be allowed to register a trademark for "Teamplay" over specific types of computer software because it still overlapped with the earlier rights of a Czech company.
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October 02, 2025
Director Denies Exploiting Father-In-Law's Business Name
The director of a procurement business has denied that his company is passing off its services as if they came from his father-in-law's supply and distribution company, adding that any goodwill associated with the name of his company was generated by his work alone.
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October 02, 2025
'Payday' Video Game-Maker Voids Canadian Rival's EU TM Bid
A Swedish video game company has persuaded European Union officials to block a rival's trademark application for "Super Hit Baseball: Payday," as it proved that there is a risk of confusion with its "Payday" video game franchise.
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October 01, 2025
Nestlé Can't Block Dutch Coffee Brand's Patent
Nestlé has failed to convince European officials to nix a Dutch coffee brand's patent for a drink preparation machine and a specially-designed capsule, as the invention's use of aluminum materials and deformation process were new.
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October 01, 2025
Dr. Oetker Beats Rival's 'Poof!' TM Challenge At EU Court
The Romanian arm of Dr. Oetker persuaded a European Union court on Wednesday to reject a Turkish rival's latest attempt to crumble its "Poof! … and done" trademark protections.
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October 01, 2025
Taylor Wessing Taps London Veteran To Drive IP Expansion
Taylor Wessing LLP has appointed a longtime partner based in its London office to take on a newly-established role as the law firm's head of intellectual property in the U.K., Ireland and Middle East.
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October 01, 2025
Bed Co. Blocks Retailer's 'HiDream' TM In UK
Bed retailer Dreams has blocked an attempt by an e-commerce company to register the trademark "HiDream" for pet beds, convincing U.K. officials that consumers were likely to confuse the brands.
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October 01, 2025
Skincare Brand Owner Axes Rival's 'Extrait Ordinary' TM
The owner of skincare brand The Ordinary has persuaded European Union officials to prevent a perfume company from registering the trademark "Extrait Ordinary," rejecting the notion that consumers pay more attention when shopping for beauty products.
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October 01, 2025
Nokia Sues Paramount In Germany, UPC Over Video Patents
Nokia said Wednesday that it has sued Paramount at the Unified Patent Court and in Germany, alleging that the company has infringed its patents for video-related technologies.
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September 30, 2025
Merck Hits Back At Halozyme In Cancer Drug Patent Row
Merck has once again asked a London court to nix Halozyme's patents for an under-the-skin drug delivery system because they allegedly solve no technical problem in the field, as it plans to launch its own subcutaneous injectable next month.
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September 30, 2025
Regeneron Sues Biosimilar Maker Over IP Rights Exemption
Regeneron has sued a biosimilar specialist in a London court, arguing that the rival was infringing on its intellectual property rights because its waiver requests to export a drug treating eye conditions to countries outside the European Union were invalid.
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September 30, 2025
German Law Firm Beats Chinese Rival In 'CNH' TM Row
German law firm CNH Anwälte has persuaded European trademark officials to block a Chinese firm from registering the trademark "CNH" as the addition of "Anwälte" is not enough for the public to differentiate the two firms.
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September 30, 2025
Recruiter Fights Contract Breach Claims After Joining Rival
A recruitment consultant has denied allegations from his former employer that he stole trade secrets for a rival headed by his stepmother, arguing that his old bosses still owe him £2,816 ($3,800).
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September 30, 2025
Huawei Sued In UK For Global License Over Wi-Fi Patents
Network equipment provider TP-Link has accused Huawei of demanding inflated royalties to use its essential Wi-Fi patents, asking a London court to force the Chinese company to accept a license on fair terms.
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September 30, 2025
EPO Clarifies Power To Scrap Past Submissions On Appeal
The European Patent Office's Board of Appeal has ruled that it can throw out facts, evidence and amendments that were filed late but which the Opposition Division has incorrectly admitted into a dispute at an earlier stage.
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September 29, 2025
Meta Stole Plan For Instagram Shopping, Antitrust Suit Alleges
A British company Friday sued Meta Platforms Inc. in California federal court, claiming the tech giant was only able to build Instagram Shopping and create a "Meta monopoly" over the tag-based shopping market by secretly stealing the startup's proprietary business plan and exploiting its social network dominance.
Expert Analysis
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Between The Lines Of EPO's Adoption Of Color Drawings
The European Patent Office's decision to accept patent drawings in color starting in October may enhance clarity in technical disclosures and streamline the examination process, and could also enable new patent filing strategies for international applicants, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.
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How WTO's Anti-Suit Injunction Ruling Affects IP Stakeholders
The World Trade Organization's recent ruling in favor of the European Union's challenge to Chinese courts' anti-suit injunction practices should hearten holders of standard-essential patents, while implementers can take solace that they retain mechanisms to distinguish the WTO decision when seeking anti-suit injunctions in U.S. courts, says Michael Franzinger at Dentons.
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How Logo Confusion Ruling Expands TM Protection
The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Iconix v. Dream Pairs confirms that postsale confusion is actionable in trademark infringement claims, and also warns appellate courts to not rewrite lower courts' factual analyses, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.
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IP Considerations As UK Maintains Exhaustion Regime
The U.K. government's decision to keep its existing regime of exhaustion of intellectual property rights means IP owners should review their existing and new European distribution agreements to account for the different regimes in the U.K. and European Union, says Rebecca Anderson-Smith at Mewburn Ellis.
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EPO Ruling On Claim Interpretation Will Have Broad Impact
The European Patent Office Enlarged Board of Appeal’s recent decision, finding that the description and drawings in a patent should always be consulted to interpret claims, will fundamentally change how the EPO interprets patent claims in both examination and opposition proceedings, say lawyers at Finnegan.
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Fashion IP Lessons From UK Design Rights Ruling
The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court’s recent ruling in Edwards v. Boohoo.com illustrates the challenges that independent designers face when attempting to enforce unregistered design rights in an era dominated by fast fashion, while also highlighting the utility of the IPEC, say lawyers at Finnegan.
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Should Patent Disputes Be Filed In The ITC Or UPC?
When companies must choose between initiating patent litigation in the U.S. International Trade Commission or the European Union's Unified Patent Court, the ITC may offer a few distinct advantages, but ultimately the decision requires consideration of case-specific factors, say attorneys at White & Case.
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Prospects And Challenges For Expert Evidence At The UPC
Expert testimony on economic or damages-related issues will likely play a larger part in Unified Patent Court proceedings in the near future, potentially presenting unique challenges for experts, counsel and judges alike, say analysts at Charles River.
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Strategies For Litigating In The Unified Patent Court
Since opening its gates two years ago, the European Unified Patent Court has transformed the patent litigation landscape and global litigation strategies, but parties seeking to take advantage of the court's robust processes must be prepared for the front-loaded character of UPC proceedings, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Incorporating UKIPO Guidance Into AI Patent Strategies
Updated guidance from the U.K. Intellectual Property Office sheds light on how it assesses patents for artificial intelligence inventions and highlights approaches that improve applicants' options for demonstrating that AI provides a technical contribution, say lawyers at Finnegan.
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Clarity On Knotty Patent Jurisdiction Questions From CJEU
The recent ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union in BSH v. Electrolux sheds light on how the jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court competes with that of the EU member state courts over infringement and validity actions, and could extend international jurisdiction of the EU courts in several ways, say lawyers at August Debouzy.
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Opinion
UK Court Of Appeal's FRAND Ruling Is Troubling
The U.K. Court of Appeal's recent decision in Optis v. Apple disregards a lower court's extensive factual findings and contradicts its own precedent regarding fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms for cellular patents, says Enrico Bonadio at the University of London.
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What Businesses Need To Know About EU Design Law Reform
Recent reforms to European Union design protection law will broaden the scope of what constitutes protected designs and products, likely creating new opportunities and considerations for businesses operating within the EU or those engaging with its markets, say lawyers at Foley & Lardner.
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What Latest VC Model Document Revisions Offer UK Investors
Recent updates to the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association model documents, reflecting prevailing U.K. market practice on early-stage equity financing terms and increasing focus on compliance issues, provide needed protection for investors in relation to the growth in global foreign direct investment regimes, say lawyers at Davis Polk.
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Protecting Brand Identity In An AI-Driven Marketplace
A lawsuit recently filed in New York federal court marks a critical moment in the intersection of artificial intelligence and trademark law, underscoring the importance of — and challenges surrounding — IP owners' ability to protect their brands as AI-generated content continues to grow, says Wendy Heilbut at Heilbut LLC.