Intellectual Property UK

  • April 11, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen law firm Michael Wilson & Partners reignite a 20-year dispute with a former director over an alleged plot to form a rival partnership, headphone maker Marshall Amplification sue a rival in the intellectual property court, and a commercial diving company pursue action against state-owned nuclear waste processor Sellafield. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new cases in the U.K.

  • April 11, 2025

    Hipgnosis Seeks To Revive Fee Dispute With Barry Manilow

    A music rights company urged the Court of Appeal on Friday to revive its claims against Barry Manilow, arguing that it has a right to pursue previously nixed claims against the megastar singer-songwriter over a $1.5 million rights purchase fee.

  • April 10, 2025

    EU Adviser Calls For Flexibility In Heirs' Film Copyright Case

    A European Court of Justice advocate general recommended Thursday that a French court allow the heirs of French director Claude Chabrol and screenwriter Paul Gégauff to bring a copyright lawsuit against the distributors of Chabrol and Gégauff's films.

  • April 10, 2025

    Microsoft Pushes Back On UK's Cloud Software Findings

    Microsoft has responded to the concerns raised by Britain's competition enforcer over the cloud services market, saying that artificial intelligence is radically reshaping the space, and that any regulatory intervention could make the industry less dynamic.

  • April 10, 2025

    EUIPO Must Not Ignore UK TMs From Pre-Brexit, Adviser Says

    The European Union Intellectual Property Office must weigh up potential conflicts with U.K. trademarks when considering applications filed before Brexit, an adviser to the bloc's top court said Thursday.

  • April 10, 2025

    UK Expands IP Mediation Program For Unrepresented Parties

    The U.K. government said Thursday it will pilot an expanded program of mediation in intellectual property disputes, primarily aimed at parties who do not have legal representation.

  • April 10, 2025

    Viagra Maker Wins EU Battle To Keep Trademark

    Viatris has beaten an attempt to revoke its trademark over the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, after European Union officials ruled that the company has put the mark to proper use.

  • April 09, 2025

    AstraZeneca Blocks Generics Ahead Of Patent Dispute

    AstraZeneca convinced an appeals court Wednesday to keep rival Glenmark's generic version of a billion-dollar diabetes treatment off the market ahead of determination of a patent dispute.

  • April 09, 2025

    Electronics Giants Denied UPC Infringement Claim Split

    The Unified Patent Court ruled Wednesday that three electronics companies must face a glass manufacturer's patent infringement claim in one case because there is no reason to split the dispute into three.

  • April 09, 2025

    Ericsson Inks Video Patent License Deal With Avanci 

    Avanci and Ericsson have struck a deal giving the Finnish telecommunications firm access to its pool of essential patents for internet video streaming, the U.S. license operator said Tuesday.

  • April 09, 2025

    Soft Drinks Giant Can't Stop Rival's 'Snapple' TM For E-Cigs

    Soft drinks maker Snapple has failed to convince European officials to nix a Chinese firm's trademark application for the same name because consumers would not think its beverage brand was connected to the e-cigarettes produced by its rival.

  • April 09, 2025

    Meditation App Trims 'Calm Therapy' TM Bid From Makeup Biz

    The business behind a popular meditation app has persuaded European Union officials to narrow a Spanish cosmetics company's "Calm Therapy" trademark application, proving shoppers could mistake the logo for its "Calm Health" brand.

  • April 08, 2025

    UPC Can Weigh Issues In Spain Even Though It Didn't Join

    Europe's patent court confirmed Tuesday that it has jurisdiction to hear a patent dispute between two motorcyclist gear makers, including infringement issues in Spain, even though the country didn't join the UPC system.

  • April 08, 2025

    J&J Unit Can't Revive Dutch Infringement Claim Over Drug

    A Dutch appeals court has rejected Janssen's claim that Samsung has infringed its patent over the Crohn's treatment Stelara by producing the drug on European Union soil with plans to export it outside the bloc.

  • April 08, 2025

    Plastics Biz Accuses Cosmetics Co. Of Copying Brush Design

    A French plastic products manufacturer has maintained that its designs for a makeup brush stand out from existing products on the market, following an attempt by a cosmetics firm to revoke its rights in an ongoing infringement dispute.

  • April 08, 2025

    Gap, TfL Forced To Pay Own Costs In 'Mind The Gap' TM Fight

    A challenge by clothing retailer Gap Inc. to Transport for London's "mind the gap" trademark has ended with both sides ordered to cover their own legal costs, after U.K. officials found both parties had acted unreasonably.

  • April 08, 2025

    Former Georgian PM Wins Fight To Nix $1.8M Extortion Case

    A former prime minister of Georgia won his bid on Tuesday to avoid a court case in London over allegations that he extorted a businessman for almost $1.8 million and tried to take over a tobacco business.

  • April 08, 2025

    Nikon, Tokyo Uni's Patent For Cell Analysis Snubbed By EPO

    An appeals board has blocked Nikon Corp. and the University of Tokyo from getting a European patent over their cell imaging and analysis technology, ruling that the development cannot be inventive because it has no technical effect.

  • April 07, 2025

    Jaguar Land Rover Inks Patent License Deal With Avanci

    Avanci and British automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover have struck a deal over a pool of essential patents linked to 5G connected vehicles, the U.S. license operator announced Monday.

  • April 07, 2025

    Bristol-Myers Bears Brunt Of Costs In Eliquis Patent Fight

    The Irish Court of Appeal has ordered Bristol-Myers Squibb to shoulder the majority of the legal costs for a significant patent infringement appeal over its blood thinner Eliquis, the company's biggest moneymaker.

  • April 07, 2025

    MLB Loses Bid To TM 'Cleveland Guardians' In UK

    Major League Baseball has lost its bid to register three trademarks related to the Cleveland Guardians team, after British officials found that an esports team had already made a name for itself using the "Guardians" brand.

  • April 07, 2025

    WeWork Loses 'By We' EU Trademark For Co-Working Spaces

    European Union officials have stripped WeWork of its "By We" trademark over co-working spaces, ruling that it could gain an unfair advantage if shoppers create a link with the "We" branding of a Dutch fashion chain.

  • April 07, 2025

    Chanel's 'Allure' TM Narrows Rival's Bid For 'Dallure'

    Chanel has succeeded in partially axing a rival beauty manufacturer's mark for "Dallure BCN," after European officials ruled that shoppers might confuse it with the French fashion giant's Allure brand. 

  • April 07, 2025

    Designer Accuses Businessmen Of Copying 'Iconic' Tote Bag

    The designer of a tote bag accused two businessmen at the start of a High Court trial on Monday of producing an almost identical design but making it "just different enough" to avoid allegations of selling counterfeit goods.

  • April 07, 2025

    UPC Rules Meril Infringed Another Edwards Heart Valve Patent

    The Unified Patent Court has ordered Meril to halt sales of its prosthetic heart valves that infringe one of Edwards' patents in Europe, marking another victory for Edwards in the long-running feud between the makers of medical devices.

Expert Analysis

  • Lessons That May Be Learned From The Demise Of Made.com

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    With Made.com going into administration, companies that may face similar challenges should take on board that the earlier adequate preemptive planning is considered, the more financial and legal options there will be to avoid last minute firefighting and to focus instead on strengthening the business, says Eleni Michaela at Faegre Drinker.

  • Teva Case Aims Europe's Pharma Crackdown At IP Loophole

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    The European Commission's recent allegations against Teva signal not only the EU competition watchdog's continued focus on intellectual property violations in the pharmaceutical sector but also its new enforcement interest in exclusionary disparagement, say Robert Bell and Malgorzata Janiec at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Determining Whether To Opt Out Of New Unified Patent Court

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    The new United Patent Court, made up of judges from all European Union member states, will cover the new unitary patent and European patents unless the owner chooses to opt out during the transition period, so patent proprietors must consider whether to opt out for each patent family, say Steffen Steininger and Anna-Katharina Friese-Okoro at Hogan Lovells.

  • 10 Things To Know About The Coming EU Unified Patent Court

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    When the Unified Patent Court opens next year, it will represent a paradigm shift for adversarial patent proceedings in Europe, and practitioners should familiarize themselves now with this new, centralized litigation system, say Fabian Koenigbauer at Ice Miller and Thomas Kronberger at Grünecker.

  • 7 Key Takeaways For Litigating Willful Patent Infringement

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    Brian Nolan and Manuel Velez at Mayer Brown explore the impact of the Federal Circuit's 2021 SRI International v. Cisco Systems decision, and six other areas recent parties have focused on when litigating willful infringement in the latest case law.

  • Trademark Ruling Brings Clarity To Product Defect Liability

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    The recent Court of Justice of the EU ruling in Fennia v. Philips, its first concerning the trademark aspect of producer liability in Article 3(1) of Directive 85/374, brings greater clarity to the question of compensation in the event of a claim for defective products, say Radboud Ribbert and Thomas van Weeren at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Appointments Shape EU Unified Patent Court Before Launch

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    A series of judiciary appointments at the EU Unified Patent Court help put the court on track for its April opening, while also reflecting a patent-friendly enforcement system, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • 5 Considerations In Preparing For EU's New Patent System

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    With the upcoming implementation of the unitary patent and Unified Patent Court, Europe gets closer to its long-term goal of one EU patent that can be enforced in one court, and non-EU patent owners and applicants will have strategic decisions to make, say Fabian Koenigbauer at Ice Miller and Thomas Kronberger at Grünecker.

  • Reexamining Negative Limitations After Novartis Patent Ruling

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    The Federal Circuit's decision and denial of rehearing in Novartis v. Accord has created exacting standards that must be met in order for negative limitations in patent claims to satisfy the written description requirement, but whether the dissent is correct that the majority opinion heightened the standard is an arguable point, say Jonathan Fitzgerald and Jaime Choi at Snell & Wilmer.

  • UK Courts' 3rd-Party Disclosure Rule Sets Global Precedent

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    The quiet change about to take place in the English Civil Procedure Rules, enabling U.K. courts to require pre-action disclosure of information from overseas third parties, is uncharted territory and will have profound implications for any organization that handles assets on behalf of a party, says Simon Bushell at Seladore Legal.

  • Zara TM Ruling Shows Prefiling Clearance Is Always Advisable

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    The recent Trade Mark Tribunal decision regarding Zara and House of Zana demonstrates the importance of conducting prefiling clearance investigations, so that where opposition may be anticipated, a strategy can be put in place, says Melanie Harvey at Birketts.

  • Dutch Merger May Promote Behavioral Remedies Across EU

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    A Dutch tribunal's recent clearing of the Sanoma-Iddink deal might further encourage merging parties in the EU to offer — and government agencies to accept — behavioral remedies, which was rarer when more emphasis was put on divestments, says Robert Hardy at Greenberg Traurig.

  • How Will UK Address AI Patent Infringement?

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    As artificial intelligence-related patent litigation activity inevitably approaches, a review of U.K. principles of direct and indirect liability offers insight into how courts may address questions involving cloud-based technology and arguments related to training AI models, say Alexander Korenberg at Kilburn & Strode and Toby Bond at Bird & Bird.

  • Law Commission's 'Data Objects' Proposal Is Far-Reaching

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    The Law Commission’s proposals to recognize data objects as a new category of personal property would bring fundamental changes were they to be implemented, and would have significant ramifications for finance litigation, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • UK Rulings Give Chinese Courts Wide Powers In IP Disputes

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    The recent rulings in Nokia v. Oppo and Philips v. Oppo open the door for Chinese courts to adjudicate worldwide rate-setting terms for standard-essential patents, and in so doing present a timely wake-up call as to China's influence, say F. Scott Kieff at George Washington University Law School and Thomas Grant at the University of Cambridge.

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