Goliath v Goliath on the issue of trade mark costs
Samsung and Swatch Group have had a chequered past in the world of intellectual property litigation over the few years. With pun intended, Swatch Group has had its finger on…
Will the High Court meet Satoshi Nakamoto?
The High Court of England and Wales is adept to answer and determine difficult questions. These can often be questions of fact (for example who did what) or questions of…
How to use a trade mark
You filed the application, waited patiently through the opposition period, then waited a little longer for the registration certificate (which is now framed on the office wall) but now what…how…
Trade Mark Appeals to the Appointed Person
The Appointed Person is, as the name would suggest, a person appointed by the Ministry of Justice to hear and determine (in a trade mark context) appeals from the UK…
What is the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court
The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) is part of the Chancery Division of the High Court. The IPEC is based in the Rolls Building in London and was previously known…
What Is IP Litigation?
In the world of intellectual property (IP), litigation is where one party has a claim against another party for doing something that infringes an IP right. For example, the owner…
Fake Websites: what to do, where and when
Let’s face it, internet scammers and fraudsters are clever as they often employ sophisticated techniques to deprive consumers of their hard earnt cash (and businesses of their revenue). It’s on…
High Court gives Umbro the boot
The recent case of Iconix Luxembourg Holdings Sarl v Dream Pairs Europe Inc and Top Glory Trading Group Inc [2023] EWHC 706 (Ch) has highlighted the importance of trade mark…
Unregistered Trade Marks In The UK: What Protection Do You Have?
Trade marks are a valuable asset for any business, helping to establish brand identity and reputation in the market. A trade mark can be a logo, symbol, word, phrase, or…
What’s in a name
As the year comes to an end, many trade mark applications will have been filed and registered in 2022. As an example, the EU Intellectual Property Office generally registers 135,000…
XXX v Persons Unknown
I like to think there is a hackers’ rehabilitation meeting called Anonymous Anonymous; I don’t know if I will ever find out whether it exists but that name, Anonymous Anonymous,…
What a year: 216,000 trade mark examinations
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has released its Innovation and Growth Report for 2021-2022 and it contains some significant figures and statistics. In the data for its 2021-2022 year,…
How to resolve domain disputes
Domain disputes are what they say on the tin, a dispute relating to the ownership of a domain name. Domain names are key in any business given a likely first…
Monster and Red Bull at Dawn
Monster Energy Company produces, as the name would suggest, energy drinks and so does Red Bull. The parties recently met in the High Court in the case of Monster Energy…
What can my trade mark be?
In the world of trade marks, deciding what “mark” to file requires careful consideration. Your decision may severely impact the level of your protection and could cause issues down the…
What is intellectual property?
Intellectual property can be an elusive beast, it is easy to say and impossible to touch, but what exactly is it? The World Intellectual Property Office defines intellectual property (IP)…
What Are Trade Mark Classes?
Trade marks are wonderful. In the fast-paced world of business, they can protect your brand – helping your business to maintain its competitive edge by preventing others from using your…
What is copyright infringement, and how do I avoid it?
What is copyright? At its most basic, copyright is the right to prevent people from copying your work. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (“CDPA”), copyright will exist…
EPO: AI cannot be a designated inventor under the European Patent Convention
On 21 December 2021, the Legal Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) announced its decision in appeals J 8/20 and J 9/20 to refuse two patent applications…
My Trade Mark Application Has Been Opposed, Help!
With the caveat that I am biased, trade marks are wonderful things. They provide a clear method for brand owners to protect and police the use of a brand. They…
A tale of passing off
The recent Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court case of Stone v Wenman [2021] EWHC 2546 (IPEC) tells a cautionary tale of passing off and should act as a useful precedent…
Domain Disputes: don’t go there if you are late
The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a dispute mechanism designed to resolve claims relating to domain names. It offers a cost effective and quick way to adjudicate…
Banksy leaves a mark in Australia
I would hedge my bets on Banksy being one of the most well-known anonymous people out there, he or she is hugely popular for his graffiti. Celebrity Net Worth tells…
IMDb credits in the Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court
The IMDb (Internet Movie Database), as the name suggests, is an online database of information relating to films, TV and online content. It claims to be the world’s most popular…
