Feyoncé Play on words: No confusion with Beyoncé
A fiancé is a man who is engaged to be married. A fiancée is a woman who is engaged to be married. Both come from the French word ‘fiancé’, meaning…
Inspiration or Imitation – Banksy accused of stealing ideas
We have all heard of Banksy. A good number of us probably also gasped at his latest stunt in which one of his most famous works ‘Girl with a Balloon’…
6 lashes for overbearing jeweller: Tiffany in trade mark trouble
Last weekend brought us a story of a trade mark dispute that is yet another example of big business exerting its rights in a way that damages rather than enhances…
No magic wand for Lancashire County Council: The Lancashire Witch Walks copyright case
Halloween will be upon us again before long so when is there a better time to come across an intellectual property story with a ‘witch’ theme than now! The Pendle…
Support Gay Marriage Cake: Freedom of expression gives right not to supply
In November 2016 we reported on a case about a bakery in Northern Ireland who had turned down an order for a cake emblazoned with the message ‘Support Gay Marriage’.…
Freedom: Just another word for nothing left to lose
I really love the Janis Joplin’s recording of ‘Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose’, but last week it was one of those tunes that I just couldn’t…
So Google doesn’t owe us after all – action by data privacy group dismissed
A bid by a group called ‘Google You Owe us’ has had its claim for compensation against Google for privacy breaches thrown out by the High Court. Led by former…
Game over: Nintendo puts stop to go-kart tours
There has got to be hundreds of things to do and see in Tokyo but driving around in a go-kart dressed up as a Mario Kart figure is no longer…
BriffaWay – A tale of how we will retain our sense of humour after Brexit no matter what
Last month I introduced you to a new series for #BriffaWay which I described as a personal reflection on our European journey. The series entitled ‘What has the EU ever…
Stairway to Heaven just got some more rungs; Led Zeppelin copyright case to go back to court
Led Zepplin copyright case to go back to court 1971 was an important year in my life. For one, it was the year I became conscious of the world of…
In Vogue: The art of spotting a commercial opportunity
Vogue Magazine is taking Black Vogue, a business set up by 26 year old Nareasha Willis to sell fashion items and accessories to court. At first blush the claim seems…
Easy does it: Easygroup takes shot at Netflix
Can you tell the difference between an aeroplane and a TV series? What if both were called ‘Easy’? Is there a good chance that you would assume that a TV…
Walk the Walk: New rights to protect runway models?
As we prepare for Brexit and the prospect of loss of intellectual property rights we had taken for granted until now, a big thank you Exeter University academics who have…
Unfair terms and conditions? Twitter has wings clipped
When we decided to join the Twitterati we signed up to their terms and conditions without paying much attention to them. We were aware that Twitter claimed rights in all…
Tesco takes risk on Jack’s
On a drizzly morning somewhere in Cambridgeshire last week, Tesco opened its first discount store Jack’s. The first of 13 planned stores Jack’s is intended to rival German discounters Aldi…
Oh Maggie I couldn’t have cried any more
When a district judge says to the parties something along the lines of ‘This is a modest claim. It has tears all over it. We cannot make people mediate but…
BriffaWay – What has the EU ever done for IP? Chapter 1
As a law student in the mid 1980’s I well remember my pen hovering over the list of module choices and selecting EEC law and competition. It promised a taste…
Safestlye and SafeGlaze avoid seeing double in glazing row
Over the last few decades the double-glazing salesman have been the target for jokes and have had to put up with a good deal of criticism and negative stereotyping. Despite…
Amazon escapes liability on its FBA Service
What’s Amazon’ liability for trade mark infringement if they fulfil a product order that happens to be of a product that infringes a brand owner’s rights? This was the question…
Can you give a shiatsu? Comparative advertising amuses
It almost 20 years ago that Virgin Atlantic, then a relative newcomer and challenger brand ran the advertising campaign declaring ‘BA don’t give a shiatsu’ on giant bill boards strategically placed…
Humour and the law. Going off the Rails
A growing and very welcome trend is to respond to the threat of legal action with humour and combine that with fast remedial action to put everything right. The latest…
Sesame Street as you do not yet know it
A raunchy comedy puppet plot called ‘The Happytime Murders’ is everything you would not expect to see from Sesame Workshops, the company behind Sesame Street. Gone is the mission to…
Battle of the band name: Inhaler
The last thing you probably need when you are supposed to be revising for your A-Levels or School Leavers certificate is to get embroiled in a legal dispute. Unfortunately, Eli…
Chocs Away: Hotel Chocolat have gloves off with Waitrose
Supermarkets copying a successful original brand is not a new problem. Far from it. Research by Witch Magazine reveals that one in five shoppers had accidentally bought a supermarket version…