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 mark infringement of the Band’s name. The Brewery’s attempt to register ‘Guns ‘N Rosé’ for one of its most recent canned beers backfired when they…
DetailsBusinesses are increasingly asking whether trademarking a hashtag is a good way for them to spread the reach of their advertising campaigns and raise awareness for their goods or services. Hashtag trade marks are either a #word or #saying and in theory as long as the hashtag trade mark meets the basic requirements for trade…
DetailsFor most people in the UK, whichever side of the political divide they sit, mentioning Brexit is fast becoming the equivalent to running over your neighbour’s cat. Careless, disrespectful and, ultimately, unforgivable. However, you’re going to have to forgive me for bringing it up again. Not because I want to upset you but instead because…
DetailsHere 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 issues and considerations, and therefore require first-hand knowledge and experience. The music industry is certainly one of these unique areas, for which you need to…
DetailsThe perils of posting on social media Who doesn’t love social media? We all tweet, post, share, and upload like there is no tomorrow. It allows us to directly reach large audiences and interact with others in real-time. Social media is also fast becoming an important tool for businesses who use it to educate, inform…
DetailseasyGroup, the holding company for a number of ‘easy’ companies including easyJet, easyHotel, easyBookings and many more, has welcomed a new member to its ever-growing family of easy brands: ‘easyNetworks’. With a name like ‘Easy Networks’ it is no surprise that this Portsmouth-based telecoms company eventually appeared on easyGroup’s radar. easyGroup has a long history…
DetailsWe all know so many brand names and businesses that have become household names for us. I think we can all agree that Nike is one of those household brand names we all know. Nike is a global brand that designs, creates and sells athletic and sportswear. Companies such as Nike that have a global…
DetailsThe auto industry is rich in IP. Trade marks protect all-important brand names, logos and taglines. Registered designs protect things like trade dress, upholstery patterns and the shape and design of wheels and other car parts. Patents protect various technologies and technological improvement in areas such as connectivity, locking, intelligent braking, reversing and steering and…
DetailsWadworth Brewery has been crowned the victor in a recent, Game-of-Thrones-inspired, trade mark battle against the infamous US television network, HBO. The Wiltshire-based brewery, founded in 1875, launched its ‘Game of Stones’ pale ale in August last year. With a view to protecting the brand, Wadworth filed a UK trade mark application for the below…
DetailsPrimark has been threatened with legal action after producing a ‘copycat’ version of Veja’s popular trainers. This is not the first time that Primark have been threatened by a footwear brand for selling ‘counterfeit’ trainers. Last year, Vans had filed a law suit in the US against Primark for allegedly copying the designs of their…
DetailsIn 2014 Supermarket chain Iceland Foods Ltd secured an EU trade mark for ICELAND, much to the frustration of the Government of Iceland, who’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs challenged the supermarket’s trade mark claiming it hinders companies in Iceland from trading using their country’s name or registering their products with reference to their country of…
DetailsWe are often asked whether trade marks are a worthwhile investment by prospective clients. The answer for the majority of clients is undoubtedly yes: whilst securing one does involve some small initial outlay, this is minimal in comparison to a number of other intellectual property rights and particularly so for those such as patents. In…
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