Trade Marks

What a Messi Battle

After a long nine-year battle superstar football ace, Lionel Messi can register his name as a trade mark.

WHAT’S THAT LOGO, IS IT AN APPLE? IS IT AN ORANGE OR IS IT A PEAR? NOPE! IT DOESN’T MATTER ITS ALL THE SAME, RIGHT?

Apple has made headlines for aggressively opposing a small businesses trade mark application for a…. yep you guessed it, a PEAR logo… sorry!

Amazon’s Brand Registry – what is it and how can we help?

Amazon now operates an effective Brand Registry tool on each of its country-specific platforms which allows brand owners to exercise a great deal of control over who uses their trade marks.

Food producers should to ready for potential shake up with Geographic Indicator Marks

As we speed towards the end of the transition period with the EU, it is not yet clear what the position will be in terms of Geographic Indicators. The competitive edge it gives UK producers to protect its own markets should not be underestimated after transition.

Why Register a Trade Mark?

Protection of a brand which is done by means of obtaining a registered trade mark is often overlooked by start up businesses.

Trade marks, tracks, beats and brands

‘trade mark’ will be a term that those in the music industry will be all too familiar with, but what are they, what do they do and (drum roll please) how can they make money?

Aldi v BrewDog

Aldi has launched their new ‘Anti Establishment’ IPA which bears an uncanny resemblance to BrewDog’s Punk IPA and surprise surprise, Aldi’s product comes in slightly cheaper. However there is a twist!

LEGOLAND or LEGNOLAND – where would you rather go?

For those of you who speak Italian, you will undoubtedly know that LEGNOLAND means “land of wood”. Whilst LEGOLAND doesn’t necessarily mean “land of plastic”, it’s not far off. So,…

Use it or lose it – an expensive lesson for Ferrari

The Ferrari 250 GTO was a sports car manufactured by Ferrari in the 1960s. Today, you would pay an eye-watering £50 million for one of these iconic models. Unsurprisingly, Ferrari…

Beyond Bricks and Mortar

The Advocate General of the Court of the Justice of the EU (CJEU) has just issued an opinion that could have welcome implications for a number of businesses in these uncertain times.

Word or logo? Choosing the perfect trade mark application

  In these strange times we’re used to big questions and the controversy that accompany them, lift lockdown or don’t lift lockdown? 1 meter or 2? Mask or no mask?…

No such thing as ‘Icelandic feta’

In April Greek MP Emmanouil Fragkos filed a complaint with the European Parliament regarding the Islandic company MS Iceland Dairies producing and selling ‘feta’ cheese products. ‘Feta’ is a protected…

Case Study: Trade Mark Specs and Bad Faith

I wanted to review the case of Sky Plc & Ors v SkyKick UK Ltd & Anr and considering the findings of the case. From this case is an EU…

Attempt to Register ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘I Can’t Breathe’ as trade marks should fail

It was inevitable really. In the midst of a tragedy and subsequent worldwide public outcry for an end to prejudice, inequality and injustice, someone has sought to benefit commercially from…

XOXO … EUIPO

A recent decision from the EU Intellectual Property Office has affirmed that when registering a trade mark you need to carefully consider the requirements of each individual territory. In addition,…

Logos: dotting the “i”s and finishing the “p”s

Intellectual property (IP) is a blanket term under which falls a number of IP rights, these rights traditionally include copyright, designs, trade marks and patents. Usually these rights have some…

Startups and IP: 3 key things to think about

For some startups intellectual property is their main and the most valuable asset, and therefore it is extremely important to take care of their IP. Here are the 3 key…

To Register Or Not To Register My Logo?

Brand logos can be protected by copyright, as artistic works, and registered as trade marks. Clients often ask us whether it is worth applying to register their logo as a…

Domain Dispute Don’ts

Briffa was recently involved in a Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) which raised some novel points and ultimately resulted in a finding of reverse domain name hijacking (RDNH) against the…

Bonzo Dog Dispute shows how emotions must not be brought to court

In November 2019 the 1960’s rock artists ‘The Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band’ won the right to carry on performing under that name. The story is, at its heart, a…

Have Harry and Megan messed up again? Is Archewell properly protected against opportunists?

Have Megan  and Harry messed up again? No, I am not talking about the reported disintegrating relations with the Royal Family or taking trips on private jets while lecturing us all about…

Another 6 Lashes – Tiffany & Co block beautician’s application for ‘Cotswold lashes by Tiffany’

Way back in October 2018 we reported on the plight of Tiffany Palmer a Gloucester beautician who had applied for the trade mark ‘Cotswold Lashes by Tiffany’ for her salon…

The artist formerly known as Joe Lycett

I love Joe Lycett. His dry wit never fails to disappoint. In particular, his stories about: tracking down a lost cat who answers to the name Samantha Peterson; writing a…

FACK JU, EUIPO

Back in April 2015, the film studio behind German comedy film “Fack Ju Göhte” did what film studios are expected to do in that situation– they filed a trade mark…