Intellectual Property UK

  • February 26, 2026

    Philips TM For Razor Grip Pattern Slashed At EUIPO

    European officials have rejected Philips' bid to register a collection of dots as a position trademark on its electric shavers and hair clippers, ruling that the spattering of superellipses above the power button wouldn't catch people's eye despite the consumer tech giant's claims.

  • February 26, 2026

    Freshfields Guides Asahi Kasei Unit In €780M Biopharma Deal

    Japanese conglomerate Asahi Kasei Corp. said Thursday it has agreed to buy biopharmaceutical company Aicuris for €780 million ($920 million) cash to fuel the German company's research and development efforts, in a deal steered by Freshfields LLP and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

  • February 26, 2026

    Louis Theroux's Co. Beats 'Alien Autopsy' Copyright Claim

    A court dismissed on Thursday a movie director's claim that Louis Theroux's production company is infringing his copyright in the 1995 "Alien Autopsy" film by producing its upcoming documentary on the origins of the hoax footage.

  • February 26, 2026

    European Patent Court To Open 2nd Panel At Düsseldorf

    The Unified Patent Court will open a second panel in Düsseldorf on Sunday, with the city in northwest Germany joining Munich as the only other city having two panels within the court's local division.

  • February 26, 2026

    Corkscrew Too Ordinary For French Biz To Get Trademark

    A European Union court has poured cold water on a French company's hopes of securing a 3D trademark for a corkscrew, ruling that the design simply reproduces a tool for removing the cork from a bottle.

  • February 25, 2026

    European Patent Court Rejects TCL's Bid To Nix Glass Patent

    Europe's patent court has rejected tech giant TCL's bid to nix a materials manufacturer's method for making glass used in consumer goods, ruling that the tin-fining process was new and wouldn't have been obvious to others at the time. 

  • February 25, 2026

    Royal Family Textile Supplier Sued For Fern Print Theft

    An interior design company has accused one of the British royal family's fabric and wallpaper suppliers of infringing its copyright in a "scrolling fern" design by reproducing the patterns of green botanical waves on rival products. 

  • February 25, 2026

    Laser Maker Gets UPC To Halt Rival's Sales

    A laser business has persuaded the Unified Patent Court to restrict a rival manufacturer's sales in several European countries after proving that the company was infringing its patent.

  • February 25, 2026

    GXD-Bio Appeals Genetic Tester IP Loss Against Myriad

    A South-Korean biotech firm has appealed a ruling in December that revoked its breast cancer test patent and dismissed its infringement claims against Myriad Genetics in Europe's patent court.

  • February 25, 2026

    Microsoft Stops Finnish Tech Biz Reviving UPC Claim

    Appellate judges at the Unified Patent Court have refused to reopen a Finnish tech company's failed patent infringement claim against Microsoft, ruling that the court made no obvious error in throwing out the case.

  • February 24, 2026

    Vienna UPC Throws Out Packing Co.'s Infringement Claim

    The Vienna local division of the UPC has thrown out a German packaging company's infringement claim against a rival, but also refused an attempt by the rival to revoke the underlying patent.

  • February 24, 2026

    Apple Suffers A Blow In Appeal Over EU 'WeatherKit' TM

    European appellate officials have rejected Apple Inc.'s bid to register a trademark for "WeatherKit," ruling that it was too descriptive to be a sign of commercial origin.

  • February 24, 2026

    Artist Denies Holographer's Rights Over Queen's Portraits

    An artist has denied claims that he failed to credit a technician as the co-author of two holographic portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth, arguing that he was their sole creator and that his former business partner was infringing his copyright. 

  • February 24, 2026

    Tesla Must Face Rival's TM Bid Again Over Brexit Error

    A trademark filing firm has won a second shot at registering "Tesla" despite objections from the eponymous electric automaker after a London judge found that a bad faith ruling was based on the wrong date post-Brexit.

  • February 24, 2026

    Huawei Loses 'Sparklink' TM Clash With Italian Telecoms Biz

    A European Union appeals panel has rejected Huawei's latest attempt to secure a "Sparklink" trademark for phones and network services, ruling that shoppers could confuse the sign with an Italian telecommunications firm's "Sparkle" brand.

  • February 23, 2026

    Furniture Maker Denies Copying Rival's Unwanted Samples

    A furniture manufacturer has pushed back against claims that it copied a former business partner's designs to make its new "Augusta" range, arguing that it never asked for the samples it was sent and that another designer was behind its new dining set. 

  • February 23, 2026

    GE Renewables Spinoff Can Patent Wind Turbine Protector

    A unit of General Electric Vernova has convinced appellate officials that it should keep a patent that protects wind turbines from excessive wind, after amending the kinds of factors it would account for in its calculations for estimated wind speed. 

  • February 23, 2026

    UPC Litigants Can Cover Costs With Insurance Policies

    Appellate judges at the Unified Patent Court have ruled that sides can take out litigation insurance to cover their potential liability for costs rather than depositing the cash themselves upfront.

  • February 23, 2026

    Chinese Finance Firm Blocks UK 'Unisonpay' Trademark

    The UK Intellectual Property Office has refused a U.K. financial services company's trademark application for the "Unisonpay" mark, finding the name is likely to confuse consumers with earlier marks owned by China UnionPay Co. Ltd.

  • February 23, 2026

    Yamaha Beats Lawyer's Challenge To E-Bike Patent

    Yamaha has fended off a challenge by a German lawyer to block its patent for an e-bike's motor and gear system, with European officials ruling that its integrated outer casing design had not been done before and is thus worthy of protection.

  • February 23, 2026

    3M's Patent For Car-Building Adhesive Comes Unstuck

    A European appeals board has revoked a 3M patent for a structural adhesive that allows carmakers to join metal panels without welding them together, ruling that the material isn't inventive.

  • February 20, 2026

    Fruit Importer Wins 'Mountain Pear' TM Infringement Fight

    A wholesaler of Chinese fruit won its case accusing a rival of infringing its "Mountain Pear" and "Yu Lu Fragrant Pear" trademarks, with a London court rejecting the competitor's case that the brands were actually generic terms for the fruit varieties.

  • February 20, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The last week in London saw the founders of Getir sue investment fund Mubadala for more than $700 million tied to alleged breaches during the company's restructuring, the Welsh Rugby Union face a claim by Swansea Council over a proposed takeover of Cardiff Rugby, and Euro Car Parks target the Competition and Markets Authority after it was fined by the watchdog. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 20, 2026

    UKIPO Says 'Lots Of Work To Do' On New Patent Tool

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office has detailed its plans for the rollout of a streamlined digital patent portal, cautioning users that the long-awaited tool is still far from perfect.

  • February 20, 2026

    Aston Martin To Sell F1 Naming Rights For £50M

    British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin said Friday that it is planning to sell its naming rights to Formula 1 team owner AMR GP for £50 million ($67.4 million) to raise capital after navigating "a highly challenging trading environment" in 2025.

Expert Analysis

  • How PTAB Is Applying New Patent Eligibility Guidance

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    Since the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released its revised patent eligibility guidance in January, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has been reversing Section 101 rejections at a higher rate, say Nick Anderson and Braden Katterheinrich of Faegre Baker Daniels.

  • Keys To Successful AI Patents In The US And Europe

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    Unsurprisingly, the World Intellectual Property Organization recently reported that patent filings for artificial intelligence inventions are increasing rapidly. Stakeholders should be mindful of maintaining quality during this filing surge, says Drew Schulte of Haley Guiliano LLP.

  • 9 Ways To Prepare Your IP Rights For Brexit

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    Those with a European intellectual property portfolio should be considering how Brexit — scheduled for March 29 — will affect EU trademarks and registered community designs, says Paula Jill Krasny of Levenfeld Pearlstein LLC.

  • 'Biosimilar V. Biosimilar' Patent Case May Be First Of Many

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    ​While the idea of patent disputes between makers of follow-on drugs is nothing new​, the complaint recently filed by Coherus against Amgen in Delaware federal court is unique in that it pits one biosimilar developer against another, say attorneys with Goodwin Procter LLP.

  • UK Patent Law: Hot Topics Of 2018 And What's Ahead

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    English courts have been active in the past year, grappling with patent topics like plausibility and equivalents, and 2019 promises to be another exciting year as English patent lawyers await developments on obviousness, insufficiency and employee inventor compensation, says Jin Ooi of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • Coordinating Patent Strategies Across PTAB And EPO

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    The positions, arguments and prior art raised in U.S. post-grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board may influence European Patent Office oppositions involving counterpart cases. Understanding the procedural similarities and differences between the two jurisdictions is key, says Drew Schulte of Haley Guiliano LLP.

  • New EU Patent Guidelines May Affect Companies' AI Strategy

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    As compared to the European Patent Office’s guidelines for artificial intelligence and machine learning — which take effect on Thursday — the U.S. eligibility framework may prove to be more favorable to innovators, say Jennifer Maisel and Eric Blatt of Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck PC​​​​​​​.

  • Intellectual Property Caught In US-China Trade Crossfire

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    Earlier this year, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products as a response to China’s trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation. The U.S.-Chinese trade war highlights the need to approach investments in China differently, taking a broad view of intellectual assets and looking beyond basic legal protection, says Holly White, a consultant at Rouse & Co.

  • Patent Eligibility Assessments: US Approach Vs. UK Approach

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    Techniques used to address questions of obviousness in the U.K. may prove useful to practitioners addressing questions of patent eligibility in the U.S., say Christopher Carroll and Charles Larsen of White & Case LLP.

  • Surveying The CRISPR Patent War

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    Following this week’s oral argument at the Federal Circuit in University of California v. Broad Institute, there has been a surge of interest in the long-running CRISPR patent dispute. There are battles raging on multiple fronts, particularly in Europe, with several more on deck in the U.S., and maybe even in China, says Michael Stramiello of Paul Hastings LLP.

  • UK Patent Ruling Sharpens Contrast With US Practice

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    The U.K. Court of Appeal's decision last month in Regeneron v. Kymab is significant because it aligns the U.K.’s approach to the assessment of insufficiency with that of the European Patent Office. It also highlights, for U.S. companies, the stricter standard to which patent specifications are subject in Europe, say Edward Kelly and Regina Sam Penti of Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • IP Considerations For UK Open Banking App Developers

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    Since January of this year, consumer-facing banks in the U.K. have been required to make customers' banking data available to authorized third parties in a standardized format. As competition between open banking app developers increases, intellectual property rights will become a key legal tool, say Rajvinder Jagdev and Peter Damerell of Powell Gilbert LLP.

  • The Case For Early Mediation Or Arbitration In IP Disputes

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    Alternative dispute resolution is one of the best ways to resolve disputes involving patents, copyright, trademark, trade secrets and other intellectual property issues. While not every situation lends itself to ADR, it is more accessible than many parties assume, says Jerry Cohen of Burns & Levinson LLP.

  • International Arbitration In 2018: A Year Of Rule Revisions

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    Though still in its relative infancy, 2018 is shaping up to be a year of arbitral institution rule updates. Neil Newing and Ryan Cable of Signature Litigation LLP explore some of the more innovative and trending rule changes expected or predicted this year.

  • A Look At Chemical Supplemental Examination Requests

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    If used strategically, supplemental examination at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can provide a powerful tool for chemical patent owners to add to their armamentarium of options for Orange Book-listed patents when conducting a due diligence analysis of their patent estate prior to Orange Book listing, say attorneys with Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP.

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