It was last January that the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) published its consultation on changes to registered design fees within the UK. A little over 9 months later, from the 1 October 2016, the reduced fees are born. The introduction of these reduced fees follows a number of recent developments to the registered…
DetailsWhile the questions around the implications of Brexit for registered EU trade marks and designs have been well-publicised, the issue of domain names has been discussed less but the position is equally uncertain; many EU domain ‘extensions’ require that registrants must be based in the European Economic Area or the EU or have some other…
DetailsApple better “Watch” out… Swatch has successfully opposed Apple’s application for the trademark iWatch in the UK. Swatch said that on account of their reputation as a quality Swiss watch maker that the name “iWatch” was too similar to their own trademarks of “iSwatch” and “Swatch” and that Apple’s use of that name would likely…
DetailsTobias McFadden a German national, wished to promote his business and website by allowing free open access to his Wi-Fi connection. In 2010, copyrighted content owned by Sony was downloaded, via McFadden’s Wi-Fi connection. Sony commenced proceedings, with the aim for McFadden to be liable for third party copyright infringement. The CJEU (Court of Justice…
DetailsThe long awaited repeal to Section 52 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 is due to take effect on 28th October 2016. From that date 3D works which have been mass produced and in respect of which registered and/or unregistered design rights has expired may benefit from full copyright protection, which is the…
Details“Life is short. Have an affair” (a registered Trade Mark) was the famous slogan of Ashley Madison, a Canadian company launched as a mobile app in 2001. This was a dating application established to aid extra-marital affairs, netting the owner Noel Biderman $55 million per year. It was not until July 2015 that it became…
DetailsUK Fashion Designer Karen Millen has lost her fight to trade under her own name following a ruling in the High Court. Central to the dispute was an agreement Millen made in 2004 when she and her husband Kevin Stanford sold their majority stake in the business to an Icelandic investor for 95 million pounds.…
DetailsWe’ve all heard about the latest augmented reality game and the impact it’s had on our streets. But what does it mean for the world of IP? The game was developed by Niantic (Nintendo having a stake therein) and allows users to travel their surroundings and collect Pokemon. Nintendo however were on top of this…
DetailsThe class action between Fox and its interns that has been going on since 2010 has finally reached a conclusion. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc and Fox Entertainment Group, Inc filed a settlement proposal for a claim brought lead by four interns who carried out unpaid work during production of the film, Black Swan. The case…
DetailsThe UK Court of Appeal this month handed down its long-awaited decision in Cartier International AG and others v British Sky Broadcasting Limited and others [2016] EWCA Civ 658, effectively paving the way for trade mark right-holders to bring website blocking injunction actions against internet providers who host infringing content. Website blocking orders are now…
DetailsVIRTUAL CURRENCY This week a judge in Florida ruled that Bitcoin is not actually money, stating that Bitcoin was not backed by a government or bank, and was not “tangible wealth”. “Virtual currency” is defined as the digital representation of value that can be traded digitally and functions as a medium of exchange, unit of…
DetailsPremier League Pub Penalties – Broadcast Restrictions The Football Association Premier League (FA) and Sky have pursued several pubs for illegally broadcasting Premier League matches to the public. The FA and Sky, with the help of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), have taken both civil and criminal action against pubs and their entertainment suppliers…
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