WHAT’S THAT LOGO, IS IT AN APPLE? IS IT AN ORANGE OR IS IT A PEAR? NOPE! IT DOESN’T MATTER ITS ALL THE SAME, RIGHT?
Apple has made headlines for aggressively opposing a small businesses trade mark application for a…. yep you guessed it, a PEAR logo… sorry!
Aldi v BrewDog
Aldi has launched their new ‘Anti Establishment’ IPA which bears an uncanny resemblance to BrewDog’s Punk IPA and surprise surprise, Aldi’s product comes in slightly cheaper. However there is a twist!
CALLING ALL INFLUENCERS – Protect your rights!
On social media, your intellectual property is your biggest selling point. Influencers post their content for everyone to see, with the hope that everyone will see it and engage. But what happens when you notice that someone is using your social media content without your consent?
Lawyer troubles for Migos
Migos are suing Granderson for malpractice, citing his overall incompetence and his betrayal of their trust, notably by failing to declare that he also acts for Migos’ record label – a clear conflict of interest.
Importance of a shareholders agreement
We all find ourselves trying to embrace this new normal during this pandemic and for some, this break has allowed your business plans to come to fruition. Due to the…
Spider Man PS5 game caught in the web of YouTube copyright disputes
Sony’s recent announcement that its long-awaited PS5 games console would be launched before the end of the year has been met with much excitement – enhanced by the very real…
XOXO … EUIPO
A recent decision from the EU Intellectual Property Office has affirmed that when registering a trade mark you need to carefully consider the requirements of each individual territory. In addition,…
Confidential Information – who do you trust to keep your secret recipe?
During this unknown time of being in lockdown in the UK, you only have to go on Instagram to find that many of us are trying to recreate our favourite…
TikTok, the new Napster?
A reminder that the music industry is constantly evolving, and that you need to keep up! Remember House Party, the app which was supposed to be the ultimate lockdown app?…
Copyright Infringement and Tattoos
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York has just issued their summary judgement in a case surrounding alleged copyright infringement of NBA players tattoos. As a…
FACK JU, EUIPO
Back in April 2015, the film studio behind German comedy film “Fack Ju Göhte” did what film studios are expected to do in that situation– they filed a trade mark…
The value of a Trade Mark
You may have seen that McDonalds have now launched their Big Mac® sauce as a separate condiment, which I hope that I am not alone in the pure feeling of…
Franchising 101: Step 1: Protect your Brand
When you think of the word “franchise” what comes to mind? Most people will have an understanding of what a franchise is, and many individuals have aspirations of seeing their…
Harry and Meghan’s defamation battle
Following the news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are stepping back as members of the Royal Family, you could be forgiven for thinking that recent media coverage reads like…
Who owns the copyright of work created by AI?
Copyright protection arises automatically in literary, dramatic, artistic and musical works, and is an extremely useful intellectual property right. The author of a copyright work is the person who created…
Jay-Z Issues Copyright Infringement Proceedings Against Children’s Author
No stranger to a good intellectual property dispute, Jay-Z is in the news again. This time it’s for issuing proceedings against children’s author Jessica Chiha, who wrote “A B to…
New ammunition against trade mark squatters in China?
Due to the “first to file” system that operates in relation to the registration of trade marks in China, there are copious instances of trade mark squatting. This presents a…
Music – What Is A Distribution Deal And Do I Need One?
As a musician or producer, once you have finished your latest track or EP, the next step is to push your music for release. For signed artists, this is usually…
Audius – good or bad for the music industry?
You may or may not understand the full inner workings of how blockchain works – but to put it simply, a blockchain is a collection of data. The chain is…
The risks of using images taken from the internet in your marketing materials
If you are in charge of running your business’ website, chances are you will be using a large number of images, photographs, and other visuals which have not been created…
Art Law
As an artist, it may seem like a daunting task to seek to make a living from your creative work. One critical step on the way to becoming a commercially…
Nike v Kawhi play-off
Basketball star Kawhi Leonard is taking on Nike, his former sponsor, in a trade mark dispute over his personal logo. Kawhi originally designed his signature logo, “KLAW”, in his college…
All guns blazin’ in a heated trade mark dispute
A well renowned brewery in Colorado, USA Oskar Blues Brewery (“the Brewery”) are up against American Rock band Guns N’ Roses (“the Band”) in a lawsuit concerning an alleged trade…
BRIFFA – music lawyers
Here at Briffa, we specialise in all forms of Intellectual Property Law, but we also offer specialist advice in particular areas and industries which have their own unique set of…