Blog & News

How can I secure funding to help protect and commercialise the intellectual property in my business?

Like obtaining a lease to your business premises or finding and retaining good employees, obtaining and commercialising your intellectual property rights can be costly. There is often a long list…

What are Collaboration Agreements?

At Briffa we regularly help our clients collaborate with other parties (such as universities and businesses with technological expertise in a particular sector) so they can grow their businesses. Collaboration…

Should I consider an Option Agreement for my intellectual property rights?

Once you have established from a lawyer if you can protect your intellectual property rights, we can help you open talks with potential investors or parties who may want to…

Why are non-disclosure agreements important for your business?

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) indeed important for protecting intellectual property (IP). They play a crucial role in maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information, which is essential for securing various IP rights,…

Are Franchising Agreements a good tool to help grow your business?

Franchising Agreements are not right for every business. However, it is useful to know what they are and when it may be appropriate to consider them further to help your…

Clarification on Animated Designs by the UKIPO

Protecting animated designs is a necessary development in this speedily evolving tech-world. In fact, the UKIPO Registered Designs Examination Practice Guide provides for such protection of both static and non-static…

10 things to check when reviewing a commercial contract

Commercial contracts are key to establishing a profitable and stable business relationship. They set out the terms on which two or more parties will trade and, ultimately, seek to avoid…

Guidance on Design Applications for Multi-Component Products: Understanding the Latest UKIPO Practice

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has recently released an updated Design Practice Note (DPN) that provides valuable guidance on the submission of design applications for products comprised of multiple…

Some like it grilled — or yet another battle for halloumi cheese

The Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi v Fontana Food SE [2024] EWHC 2311 (Ch) The UK High Court recently rejected the appeals of…

Red Bull’s Wings are Clipped

A recent UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) invalidity decision provides a good reminder in relation to non-use aspects of trade mark opposition and invalidity actions. An trade mark invalidity application…

Understanding Fair Dealing

When it comes to using copyright protected material, one of the most important concepts in English copyright law is fair dealing. Fair dealing is a legal standard that determines whether…

Copyright Exceptions: Commercial and Non-Commercial

Generally speaking, copyright laws give copyright holders the right to authorise or prevent copying of their work. However, there are certain exceptions where copyright protected material can be used without…

Keeping It Clean: How Morality Shapes Trade Mark Law

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of banter. In fact, many brands base their entire image on their tongue and cheek humour. However, when applying for a trade mark in…

Importance of Written Agreements

The importance of having any written agreements signed by both parties cannot be overlooked, especially in the creative industries, where it is common for parties to engage in discussions without…

The Importance of a Trade Mark Clearance Search

The importance of brand protection should never be overlooked.  You create a new brand, spending copious amounts of time and money in registering the company, acquiring the relevant domains, creating…

Metaverse Trade Marks and IP Issues

The UK’s Intellectual Property Office has recently released a government-commissioned research report regarding metaverse trade marks and IP issues. As the metaverse continues to establish itself as a significant marketplace…

5 things to remember when choosing a brand name

Starting a business is hard, there are a million and one things to spend money on, decisions to make and hurdles to overcome however, the most important thing to decide…

Reinforcing the principles of fairness and proportionality in the assessment of costs in UK trade mark Law

In the recent case of Unicorn Studio Inc v Veronese (Société par Actions Simplifiée), the High Court delivered a significant ruling on the issue of costs in a trade mark…

Reaffirming the principle that AI inventions must meet the same patentability criteria as other computer-implemented inventions

The recent Court of Appeal decision in EWCA Civ 825 has significant implications for the patentability of AI inventions in the UK. The Court of Appeal reversed the High Court’s…

Keep Milking It – Oatly Ab v Dairy UK Ltd, [2023] EWHC 3204 (Ch)

  In 2019, the company ‘Oatly’, known for their oat-based milk alternatives, filed an application for POST MILK GENERATION (the “Trade Mark”) in classes 29, 30 and 32. Dairy UK…

Sexualised & Synthetic: The Legal Implications Of The Celebrities Most Commonly Victimised By Deepfakes

‘Taylor Swift deepfake’ is searched 9,900 times per month – the most of any celebrity. ‘Deepfake Pornography’ has increased in searches by 97.5% since 2019. 25% of the most searched…

A chicken shop date in court: Morely’s v Nanthakumar and others

For fried chicken connoisseurs and Londoners out there, you will likely be familiar with the fried chicken shop Morley’s. What you might not know is that Morley’s have registered trade…

Help! There Are Similar Trade Marks Already Registered, What Should I Do?

The UK Intellectual Property Office has recently published a report showing that a record number of trade marks were registered last year, which represents a 75% increase from 2020. It…

How do I protect the intellectual property in my new jewellery brand?

It’s an exciting time, you have an idea for a new jewellery brand to shake up the market. But before you rush off and launch your brand to the public,…