Intellectual Property UK

  • February 12, 2025

    Tom Ford Can't Get EU TM For Perfume Bottle Design

    Luxury fashion brand Tom Ford cannot get trademark protection for its fine-line illustration of a perfume bottle, with EU officials finding that the design was not obviously different from other perfume packaging.

  • February 12, 2025

    Blur Drummer's Class Action Claim Faces PRS Strike-Out Bid

    An organization that collects royalties on behalf of musicians in the U.K. on Wednesday asked the country's competition tribunal to toss out a claim brought by the drummer of rock band Blur, who alleged that it has been unfairly distributing cash.

  • February 12, 2025

    EU Shelves SEP Plan In Drive To Simplify New Regs

    The European Commission has withdrawn its bid to overhaul laws on standard-essential patents, announcing in its work plan for 2025 that there is "no foreseeable agreement" for the controversial proposal.

  • February 11, 2025

    ETSI Picks IP Law Pro For New Chief Policy Officer

    Europe's telecommunications standards body has appointed a new chief policy officer with a background in intellectual property law and policy.

  • February 11, 2025

    Baccarat's TM Cut Down In EU Fight With Interior Design Co.

    An interior design company has convinced a European trademark authority to cut luxury homeware company Baccarat's trademark "Baccarat La Maison" for a swathe of categories, after officials found the famed French crystal maker could not show it was using the mark extensively.

  • February 11, 2025

    Saint-Gobain Grinds Out IP Win Over Robert Bosch Challenge

    European officials have upheld a patent for an abrasive material that reduces the imperfections caused to steel and other pieces, ruling that Saint-Gobain Abrasives' had used a special equation to generate a unique geometric pattern. 

  • February 11, 2025

    Bristows Hires New UPC Chief In Dublin

    Bristows LLP has hired a new Unified Patent Court director to its Dublin office who aims to "sculpt" the firm's practice at the European forum.

  • February 11, 2025

    O2 Fails To Block Israeli Org's 'LMNT O2' Trademark Bid

    O2 has lost its attempt to foil an Israeli laser company's "LMNT O2" trademark application, failing to convince a European Union appeals panel that consumers could confuse the mark with its own branding.

  • February 11, 2025

    Edwards Halts Meril's Heart Valve Sales In Netherlands

    A Dutch court has ordered Meril to stop selling heart valves that infringe one of Edwards' European patents, rejecting Meril's bid to invalidate its rival's protections.

  • February 11, 2025

    Novartis To Buy US Pharma Biz Anthos For Up To $3.1B

    Novartis AG said Tuesday that it plans to buy Anthos Therapeutics Inc. for up to $3.1 billion, allowing the Swiss pharmaceutical heavyweight to return a drug that originated at the company back into its portfolio of cardiovascular therapies.

  • February 10, 2025

    Amgen Saves Patent For Making Parathyroid Drug

    European officials have dismissed an appeal seeking to defeat Amgen's patent for making a peptide that treats hyperparathyroidism resulting from kidney disease, saying the patent can stand because skilled inventors at the time wouldn't have thought of linking molecules in the same way. 

  • February 10, 2025

    DeLorean Wins TM Claim Against Ex-European Franchisee

    DeLorean has won its trademark infringement claim accusing a former European franchisee of continuing to use its branding years after its partnership with the famous two-doored sports car company ended.

  • February 10, 2025

    Gambling Biz Wins Bid To Exit TM Deal Without Paying €1.7M

    A gambling business was entitled to end a trademark licensing deal with another online gaming company without paying a €1.7 million ($1.8 million) penalty because their joint venture was performing poorly, a London court ruled Monday.

  • February 10, 2025

    Make-Up Artist Can't Sue BBC Over Reality TV Show

    A London judge on Monday dismissed a case against the British Broadcasting Corp. and a Warner Bros. unit, ruling that they didn't steal a makeup artist's idea to make "Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star."

  • February 10, 2025

    Hyundai Technology Trims Hyundai Motor Co.'s Logo TM

    Hyundai Technology Inc. has successfully blocked Hyundai Motor from using its logo in the European Union for a range of consumer electronics and computer devices — but failed to block the trademark for some vehicle-related technology products.

  • February 07, 2025

    Nokia Blocks Some Amazon Prime Features In German IP Suit

    A German court on Friday hit Amazon with an injunction after ruling that its Prime Video streaming service infringes one of Nokia's patents.

  • February 07, 2025

    Thom Browne Beats Adidas Copycat Claims In Dutch Scuffle

    Thom Browne has scored another victory against Adidas AG, convincing a Dutch court that a stripe pattern stamped on jackets and shoes was not a copy of the German brand's famous three-stripe logo. 

  • February 07, 2025

    Abbott Stripped Of 3D TM For Circular Glucose Monitor

    A London court revoked on Friday Abbott's 3D trademark over a continuous glucose monitoring device, bringing to an end its infringement case against a Chinese rival.

  • February 07, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Investec Bank PLC sue two diamond tycoons, London florist Nikki Tibbles file a claim against an "imitator company," a direct descendant of the Cartier family launch a claim, and a Coronation Street actor hit footballer Joe Bunney with a defamation claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 07, 2025

    Baxter's Blood-Clotting Patent Survives J&J Challenge

    A European appeals panel has rejected an attempt by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson to revoke Baxter Healthcare's patent for a treatment that stops bleeding, upholding an amended version of the patent in a decision released on Friday.

  • February 06, 2025

    Victorinox Can't Get 'Makers Of Swiss Army Knife' TM

    European officials have partially refused a knife-maker's trademark registration for the phrase "From the makers of the original Swiss Army knife," ruling that it wouldn't help consumers know Victorinox was the company making them. 

  • February 06, 2025

    Lemon Gin Linked To City Not Norwich FC, Maker Says

    A spirits producer has told a court that claims by Norwich City FC that its lemon-flavored gin infringed the football club's trademarks are false because its "Norwich City" drink was created as a souvenir for visitors to the eastern English city.

  • February 06, 2025

    Sony Must Face Hendrix Bandmates' UK Copyright Claim

    A London appeals court held Thursday that Sony must face a claim that it infringed copyrights belonging to the estates of Jimi Hendrix's former bandmates, rejecting the company's latest bid to foil the case.

  • February 06, 2025

    Luxury London Florist Gets Imitator's Assets Frozen

    A high-end London florist has secured an asset freeze against a British national who set up a company allegedly imitating the bouquet delivery service's business.

  • February 06, 2025

    L'Oréal Brushes Off Schwarzkopf's Hair Gel Patent Challenge

    L'Oréal can keep an amended version of its patent over a hair gel compound after the owner of Schwarzkopf failed to show it was not inventive, a European appeals panel said in a decision released Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    AI-Generated Works Should Not Have Copyright Protection

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    The U.S. Copyright Office has correctly determined that works created solely by artificial intelligence do not qualify for protection, as granting exclusive rights to such works would be unwise for a number of reasons, says Thomas McNulty at Lando & Anastasi.

  • Examining The New UK Service Guidance For TM Proceedings

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    A new much-anticipated U.K. Intellectual Property Office practice notice affects situations where there is no valid U.K. address for service of documents in trademark and registered design proceedings, and will mean rights holders are on notice at an earlier stage of proceedings, with limited time in which to respond, says Nina O'Sullivan at Mishcon de Reya.

  • A Look At M&S' Registered Design Claim Win Against Aldi

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    Adding to the long line of cases seeking to restrain Aldi's attempts to mimic market-leading products, Marks & Spencer's recent success in the U.K. High Court based on registered designs demonstrates that supermarket copycat products may no longer be able to sail so close to the wind, says Alex Borthwick at Powell Gilbert.

  • UK Teva Ruling Brings Patent Remedy Into Question

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    Arrow declarations have been considered an extremely effective tool for patent litigators, but following the recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in Teva v. Novartis it appears that courts are looking to take a more conservative view, say David Holt and Tony Proctor at Potter Clarkson.

  • How CJEU Case Shifts TM Liability For Platforms Like Amazon

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    The EU Court of Justice's recent ruling on Amazon's liability for trademark infringement in relation to fake Christian Louboutin shoes advertised by third parties on its website may leave web platforms that sell third-party vendors' products alongside their own brands more vulnerable to infringement claims, say Louisa Chambers and Helen Reddish at Travers Smith.

  • Europe's New Unitary Patent System Will Affect IP Agreements

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    Marco Stief at Maiwald discusses key points in intellectual property agreements that legal practitioners will need to consider in Europe's soon-to-open centralized patent court, including regional exclusivity in different contracting member states.

  • EU Medicine Reboxing Ruling Gives Guidance To Pharma Cos.

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    The recent landmark decision of the Court of Justice of the EU in Novartis Pharma on repackaging medicines has provided pharma companies with a much-needed framework, with better protections for trademarks and clearer protocols for handling imported products, say Ulf Grundmann and Elisabeth Kohoutek at King & Spalding.

  • A Look Ahead At Key UK Intellectual Property Cases

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    Anticipated 2023 U.K. intellectual property decisions include robotics, artificial intelligence, and clean energy matters that have also been heard in the U.S., while other areas to watch include global fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory issues, as well as COVID-19 patent litigation, say Tom Oliver and Claire Robinson at Powell Gilbert.

  • Lessons That May Be Learned From The Demise Of Made.com

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    With Made.com going into administration, companies that may face similar challenges should take on board that the earlier adequate preemptive planning is considered, the more financial and legal options there will be to avoid last minute firefighting and to focus instead on strengthening the business, says Eleni Michaela at Faegre Drinker.

  • Teva Case Aims Europe's Pharma Crackdown At IP Loophole

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    The European Commission's recent allegations against Teva signal not only the EU competition watchdog's continued focus on intellectual property violations in the pharmaceutical sector but also its new enforcement interest in exclusionary disparagement, say Robert Bell and Malgorzata Janiec at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Determining Whether To Opt Out Of New Unified Patent Court

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    The new United Patent Court, made up of judges from all European Union member states, will cover the new unitary patent and European patents unless the owner chooses to opt out during the transition period, so patent proprietors must consider whether to opt out for each patent family, say Steffen Steininger and Anna-Katharina Friese-Okoro at Hogan Lovells.

  • 10 Things To Know About The Coming EU Unified Patent Court

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    When the Unified Patent Court opens next year, it will represent a paradigm shift for adversarial patent proceedings in Europe, and practitioners should familiarize themselves now with this new, centralized litigation system, say Fabian Koenigbauer at Ice Miller and Thomas Kronberger at Grünecker.

  • 7 Key Takeaways For Litigating Willful Patent Infringement

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    Brian Nolan and Manuel Velez at Mayer Brown explore the impact of the Federal Circuit's 2021 SRI International v. Cisco Systems decision, and six other areas recent parties have focused on when litigating willful infringement in the latest case law.

  • Trademark Ruling Brings Clarity To Product Defect Liability

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    The recent Court of Justice of the EU ruling in Fennia v. Philips, its first concerning the trademark aspect of producer liability in Article 3(1) of Directive 85/374, brings greater clarity to the question of compensation in the event of a claim for defective products, say Radboud Ribbert and Thomas van Weeren at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Appointments Shape EU Unified Patent Court Before Launch

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    A series of judiciary appointments at the EU Unified Patent Court help put the court on track for its April opening, while also reflecting a patent-friendly enforcement system, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

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