Trade Marks

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…

Imperial Enterprise Lab: Helping Students get to Grips with Intellectual Property

The Imperial Enterprise Lab is an impressive physical and intellectual space where student innovators and entrepreneurs are inspired to put their creative skills and abilities into practice with a view…

The value of a Trade Mark

You may have seen that McDonalds have now launched their Big Mac® sauce as a separate condiment, which I hope that I am not alone in the pure feeling of…

Confused or likely to be confused?

In the world of trade marks “confusion” is a big thing. Well actually it’s the “likelihood of confusion” that’s a big thing, actual confusion isn’t actually required – confused? Yes,…

Gin, Vera Lynn and a Timely Trade Mark Win

On 14 July 2019, the Liverpool based drinks company Halewood International Brands applied to trade mark “VERA LYNN” for alcoholic beverages (the Application). Upon being alerted to the Application via…

Sony files trade mark for PS5

Earlier this week Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony) filed a trade mark application for “PS5” in Switzerland signalling the forthcoming launch of the fifth version of the world famous PlayStation…

Tiffany wins an opposition against UK beautician

Back in 2018 Tiffany Parmar applied to register a UK trade mark for ‘Cotswold Lashes by Tiffany’, covering class 3 (cosmetics), class 41 (beauty school services) and class 44 (beauty…