Blog & News

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,…

Joint Ownership of Trade Marks: A Guide for SMEs and Creative Businesses

If you’re an SME or a creative business, owning a UK registered trade mark can be a powerful asset. But what happens when more than one party shares ownership of…

Trade Mark Infringement: The Complete Guide

  Have you seen a business using a name similar to yours? Or does their logo look like yours? Or have you received a cease-and-desist letter and you’re wondering what…

Major update to EU design law

Registered designs protect the shape and/or appearance of a product. They are an invaluable (and cheap) part of the IP toolkit whose importance we have written about a number of…

IPO Report Reveals How The Media & Public Perception Has Shaped The IP Landscape

A new report from the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has shed light on how the United Kingdom’s news reporting on Intellectual Property (IP) rights has evolved over the past…

Unregistered Trade Marks in the UK: What Protection Do I Have?

  The Importance of Registering a Trade Mark Registering a trade mark for your brand name and/or logo when you establish your business is crucial. A registered trade mark grants…

How to protect against the theft of confidential business information

Protecting confidential business information is essential for ensuring the success and longevity of any company. Here are some steps you can take to protect your business information from theft: Identify…

Artists – copyright & designs

Copyright Copyright is one of the most important IP rights that will protect artistic works. For artists, understanding copyright means it may be utilised to protect your original works and…

Should you mention a competitor’s product in your advert?

Advertising that in any way identifies a competitor, or a competitor’s product, is known as comparative advertising. With comparative advertising, there is a fine line between encouraging fair competition and…

Can you obtain a patent for inventions made by AI?

The recent decision by the UK Supreme Court in Thaler v Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks [2023] UKSC 49 (“Thaler”), authored by Lord Kitchin, has provided some clarification…

Consultancy Agreements: The Importance of a Clear Scope

Consultants can be extremely valuable to businesses by providing specialised expertise, skills, and an outside perspective that may be lacking internally. However, given how involved consultants often become in handling…

The Importance of Trade Mark Clearance Searches: FAQs

Is clearing my trade mark necessary before launching it, and how do I go about it? Response: While it may not be mandatory in many jurisdictions to conduct a trade…

The UK Intellectual Property Office’s 2023 Facts and Figures

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) is the official government body with responsibility for intellectual property (IP) rights. Its remit is wide as it is responsible for granting trade marks,…

Slaughter and the Dogs’ Dog Fight

For those of you that don’t know, Slaughter and the Dogs are an English punk band founded in 1975 who did not register their name as a trade mark (but…

I’ve seen that before!

Television, a lot has happened to this marvel since its invention nearly 100 years ago not just in terms of the technology but also what is broadcast or streamed to…