Blog & News

Donald Trump, Copyright Pirate?

Navigating the world though racial and ethnic stereotyping while landing on an island somewhere near you for the odd grope; it seems Donald Trump can now add Copyright Pirate to…

May the Force be with you (if you have a licence to use the Force …)

The Star Wars brand was born in 1977 with the release of the first film in the series: simply, “Star Wars”. It’s almost 40 years later and if you’re not…

Guess? What happened with Gucci’s trade mark

Do you see a ‘G’, ‘X’, ‘3’, or ‘E’? This was one of the considerations of the EU General Court in dismissing Gucci’s appeals against the Board of Appeal’s decision…

Don’t like Mondays – it could be worse

Sir Bob Geldof has faced worse blows of course but he can now add ‘being sued for millions by former band mate’ to the list. Johnnie Moylett (aka Johnnie Fingers)…

McDonalds facing a string of copyright infringement suits

Oh dear oh dear, what is the matter with McDonalds? Their corporate website is full of warm and fluffy statements about how seriously they take their corporate social responsibility. They…

Infringing Playboy and it’s not Trump!

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) have ruled that hyperlinks can infringe copyright within the EU. In 2011, GS Media published a report regarding nude photos of…

Cocktails!

The popularity of cocktails and cocktail bars shows no sign of abating with cocktails being sold more and more in many bars and pubs alongside the more standard drinks. Here’s…

A – bit too much TalkTalk!! – £400,000.00 fine for data breach

The Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) has issued a record monetary penalty of £400,000 against telecommunications group TalkTalk under the Data Protection Act 1998. The fine is for serious contraventions of…

Up the creek without a Raft – a lesson in IP ownership

The UK courts started back in full swing this week after a two-month summer break, which means that legal practitioners all over the country are eagerly awaiting shiny new legal…

A PUSH or a PUNCH? Apparently it’s all the same

Different words? Different meanings? Different outcomes at 3.00am outside a nightclub? Well no actually, at least from the point of view of a trade mark application. The EU General Court…

Playtime is over: EU court rules hyperlinks infringe copyright

Earlier this month, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) confirmed that hyperlinking to creative works protected by copyright (i.e. protected works) can constitute infringement where such works…

Swatch opposed Apple’s trade mark for the “iWatch” and won

Apple 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…

Free Wi-Fi providers are not liable for copyright infringement

Tobias 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,…

A staple purchase?

Asos spends over £20 million in global settlement to end trade mark infringement claims The e-commerce retailer Asos– formerly known as “As Seen On Screen” has agreed to pay out…

Calling all designers: Are your iconic 3D works about to get back into full copyright? Intellectual Property Office issues guidance note 9 September 2016

The 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…

Ashley Madison & Brand Management

“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…

Karen Millen Loses Trade Mark Battle

UK 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…

Specsavers: UK Intellectual Property Office approves “SHOULD’VE” trade mark application

Earlier this month, the UK Intellectual Property Office published a trade mark application made on behalf of Specsavers B.V. for the word “SHOULD’VE” / “SHOULDVE”. The company has had trade…

New Rights for Furniture and Jewellery Designers Against Copycats

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 changed in July 2016, reviving copyright protection in artistic works which had previously had their copyright protection cut short to a period of…

No stopping Pokemon GO!

We’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…

The Real McCoy

In 2013, McDonald’s won a case in the EU Intellectual Property Office (then the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market) challenging the “MacCoffee” trade mark used by Future Enterprises…

Fox film studio sued by unpaid interns on Black Swan production 

The 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…

Trade mark website blocking orders rubber-stamped by UK appeal court

The 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…

Protecting your IP – simple tips

That looks familiar? Simple advice on how to protect what’s yours The recent case of Tuesday Bassen (an illustrator and designer) against Zara (a multi-national fashion designer) reported reecently by…