Blog & News

Facebook Reportedly tries to Licence Rights for its Users to Upload Videos containing Songs

In 2014, Mark Zuckerberg reportedly stated that “in five years, most of [Facebook] will be video”. You only need to look at your Facebook newsfeed to see that it is…

Small print, big potential – the importance of a set of Terms & Conditions

People love saying things like: “don’t sweat the small stuff”, “go with the flow” and “why don’t you just chillax”. Something which is worth noting however is that these people…

Is Cheerios yellow a thing?

Is Cheerios yellow a thing? No, not according to the US trademark court office. General Mills, the manufacturer of the ‘Cheerios’ American cereal brand, had spent two years pursuing trade…

Trade marks in China: court awards significant damages to US sportswear firm, New Balance

US sportswear firm, New Balance, has been awarded damages in excess of 10 million yuan (roughly £1.2m) by a Chinese court in relation to infringement of its famous “N” logo.…

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) Cracks Down on Gender Stereotyping

The Advertising Standards Authority has carried out a study into advertising and the impact gender stereotyping may have on the general public. The report looked at how gender assumptions that…

Luxury brand owners may soon be able to prevent the sale of their products online via Amazon and Ebay

On 26 July 2017, in the matter of Coty Germany GmbH v Parfümerie Akzente GmbH, at the European Court of Justice, Advocate General Wahl, stated a supplier of luxury goods…

Untangling the Web of Spider-Man and Intellectual Property

‘Spider-Man’ recently returned to the big screen, making a cameo in Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and now in a new standalone Sony Pictures’ film entitled ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. Many…

What does the CSI Effect and Suits have to do with your knowledge of the law?

In 2006, the CSI Effect was prevalent throughout the criminal courts of America, with jurors questioning forensic evidence through information that had been learned off of the TV show CSI:…

Monkeying around – Naruto v. David John Slater – can an animal possess the copyright to an image

A recent case of man vs. animal has brought into debate whether or not an animal can possess the copyright to an image. The case of Naruto v. David John…

Unjustified threats provisions receive Royal Assent

At the end of April, the new Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Act 2017 received Royal Assent, with an expectation the provisions will come into force in October. As we reported…

The importance of trade mark registration – even if your brand is still a baby

So I’ve just had a baby. Strictly speaking, it was actually my wife who had the baby, I mainly just cheered her on and let her squeeze my hand.  It’s…

UK Trade Marks: What Are The Key Requirements?

Registering your trade mark is an important step to take in protecting the brand and reputation of your business. To avoid setbacks in the application process, it is important to…

Spotify is getting sued for copyright infringement … again

Spotify is getting sued in two separate lawsuits for copyright infringement. A Nashville-based publisher and a songwriter claim that the streaming service did not obtain the necessary licenses to stream…

No Gluten-free love for Jamie Oliver and Jamie Oliver Enterprises

The Gluten Intolerance Group (‘GIG’) of North America has knifed back at Jamie Oliver and Jamie Oliver Enterprises (‘Jamie Oliver’) for trade mark infringement, counterfeiting and unfair competition. The complaint…

Louboutin – It’s All About the Flash of Red!

It’s all about that flash of red, that instantly elevates the status of an outfit. Louboutin have successfully registered the red sole of their shoe as a trade mark in…

British Airways crashes into a wall with its latest advertising campaign!

It seems that May was not the best month for British Airways (BA). As well as the global IT systems failure that BA experienced over bank holiday weekend, BA have…

Why the Unitary Patent Matters to You: A Beginner’s Guide to the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court

If you’re the owner of a European Patent (‘EP’) or considering applying for one, but haven’t yet been brave enough to face the prospect of getting to grips with the…

Briffa Celebrates – Greeting Card Association

Even in this digital age, we all love to get a card in the post. I know I am always thrilled, and I have cards which stay up on the…

Likelihood of Konfusion?

Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis is in the middle of a trade mark dispute with Kellogg’s over his right to make commercial use of his nickname “Special K”. The breakfast…

Swatch What Happened to Apple’s IWATCH Trade Mark Application

Swatch’s opposition to Apple’s IWATCH trade mark application recently reached the High Court, where John Baldwin QC had to decide whether the marks were similar and if there was a…

Keep it secret, keep it safe – whether it be a new invention, a unique recipe or even a pitch to a potential client

My wife loves Lord of the Rings. I can take it or leave it, to be honest. The films (at the risk of sounding like a millennial, I’m not really…

Have a break, have a naked KitKat!

Nestlé, have not established acquired distinctiveness for their four finger bar of chocolate. On 17 May 2017, the Court of Appeal dismissed Nestlé’s appeal to register a four finger KitKat as…

News Flash – Use of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) is on the increase

The Law Society Gazette reported earlier today that use of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) is on the increase. In terms of number of cases filed, 2016 saw an increase…

Verisign’s Latest Domain Name Industry Brief

Verisign, the company responsible for operating key Internet infrastructure (e.g. ‘.com’), has published its latest brief on the state of the domain name industry. The volume of domain names registered…