Intellectual Property UK

  • July 17, 2026

    Nutella Can't Bin Mushroom Extract Brand 'Nutera' TM

    Chocolate giant Ferrero has failed to persuade European officials that shoppers would see "Nutera"-branded vitamin drinks and think they were linked to Ferrero's popular "Nutella" hazelnut chocolate spread, as their markets don't overlap enough.  

  • July 17, 2026

    Axed Sports Data Employee Denies Misusing Confidential Info

    A former employee of a sports data firm has denied misusing any confidential information in breach of his employment contract, telling a London court that he emailed himself documents only to preserve evidence during a "flawed" disciplinary process.

  • July 16, 2026

    L'Oréal Can't Block Rival's Hair Treatment Patent

    European officials have dismissed L'Oréal's attacks against a rival's hair bleaching and coloring kit that aims to reduce damage, ruling that the original claims were obvious but an amended form adding a specific ingredient was new. 

  • July 16, 2026

    Plastics Biz Denies Copying 'Dragons' Den' Shower Caddy

    A plastics manufacturer has pushed back against claims from a "Dragons' Den"-winning shower products company that it is infringing design rights over a rustproof, glue-on shower caddy, arguing the rights were invalid to begin with.

  • July 16, 2026

    Next Says Smiling Jellycat Toy Design Is Too Common To Be IP

    British retailer Next has pushed back against toymaker Jellycat's claims that a biscuit-shaped cushion and doorstop were copies of its "Amuseables" plush toy range, arguing that simple facial features on soft toys is not unique to the popular brand.

  • July 16, 2026

    Publishers Can Claim Author Copyright Share, EU Court Told

    Publishers who own certain copyrights should be able to claim a share of authors' compensation for the reproduction of their works alongside any standard cut they may receive as publishers, an adviser to the European Union's top court said Thursday.

  • July 16, 2026

    Chanel Blocks Chinese Rival's 'Amococo' Skin Cleanser TM

    Chanel has persuaded European Union officials to block a Chinese company's application for an "Amococo" trademark covering skin cleanser and other goods, proving that the brand comes too close to its famous "Coco" label.

  • July 15, 2026

    OpenAI Name Too Descriptive For TM, EU Court Says

    A European court on Wednesday rejected OpenAI's bid for another shot at registering its name as a trademark, finding the term focused too heavily on describing artificial intelligence and related tech that the company offers.

  • July 15, 2026

    Halozyme Can't Block MSD From Selling Cancer Jab In Europe

    A Dutch court refused to grant Halozyme an injunction against Merck Sharp & Dohme stopping it from marketing an injectable cancer treatment in a slew of European countries, ruling that the rival hadn't made any promises to avoid the market while the case was ongoing.

  • July 15, 2026

    Security Co. Accuses Distributor Of Selling Copycat Tech

    A security firm has accused its U.K. distributor of copying its unregistered rights in two security towers used for autonomous 360-degree surveillance, after allegedly identifying products that looked similar to its own in a LinkedIn post.

  • July 15, 2026

    Photographer Sues Luxury Lifestyle Co. Over Image Use

    A photographer has sued Fairfax & Favor over allegations that the English luxury brand has continued using his copyrighted work beyond the terms of their initial licensing agreement and has profited from doing so without his consent. 

  • July 15, 2026

    Gap Unit Fails To Stop Vetements' 'Spinning' Windmill TM

    Fashion brand Vetements has persuaded European officials to reject a bid by a Gap athleisure subsidiary to block a trademark application for a windmill-shaped logo, as it found that consumers would immediately be able to tell the two brands apart. 

  • July 15, 2026

    Google's Attack On Cloud Computing Patent Meets Pushback

    A U.S. company has defended its data processing patent amid an ongoing infringement claim against Google, urging a London court to dismiss the tech giant's argument that the patent contains nothing inventive.

  • July 14, 2026

    Display Maker Says AI-Made Images Don't Infringe Rival's IP

    An exhibition stand supplier has pushed back against claims that it infringed a rival's copyright by using copycat photographs to market products online, arguing that it used artificial intelligence tools to create ultimately distinct images.

  • July 14, 2026

    Snapchat Sues Dolby In Clash Over Patented Video Tech

    Snapchat has brought an action against Dolby in a London court after the two companies recently clashed in the U.S. and Brazil over the audio technology giant's patented video compression technology.

  • July 14, 2026

    UPC Opens Simpler Path To Defense Of Dependent Claims

    European appellate judges have clarified that patent owners need not amend their patents to defend dependent claims, strengthening their ability to rely on narrower fallback claims when broader ones are challenged.

  • July 14, 2026

    HDMI Connector Shape Can't Function As TM, EUIPO Says

    The licensing company for the HDMI technology standard cannot register a trademark depicting the front-facing connecting component of a cable, as European officials ruled that shoppers would not see this shape as expressing anything beyond HDMI compatibility.

  • July 14, 2026

    Heineken Can't Void NZ Distillery's Boozy Penguin TM

    Heineken has lost its challenge against a New Zealand distillery's trademark for a penguin serving a cocktail as European Union officials said there is no risk of confusion with the brewery's own penguin-branded alcoholic drinks.

  • July 14, 2026

    Manufacturer Says Distributor Infringed Pipe Connector Patent

    A pipe fittings manufacturer has accused an Irish distributor of infringing its patent over a tool that joins pipework without welding, asking a London court to block its opponent from any further alleged transgressions.

  • July 13, 2026

    Portofino Says Citadel Used Dismissal To Fuel Press Campaign

    Portofino Technologies has accused Citadel Securities of using its decision to drop its trade secrets lawsuit against the Swiss cryptocurrency trading firm as an opportunity to drum up bad press about Portofino, and papering over the fact that an $8 million judgment it won in the dispute is a "pyrrhic victory."

  • July 13, 2026

    Distillery Loses 'Green Vodka' TM For Vodka In UK

    Distiller Masons of Yorkshire has lost a trademark for "Green Vodka" over many alcoholic beverages, after a Cypriot rival convinced British officials that shoppers could think the spirit was connected to its "Green Mark Vodka" brand.

  • July 13, 2026

    Jellycat Sues Hamleys, Next Over Copycat Plushies

    Jellycat has accused both toy shop Hamleys and retailer Next of selling copycats of its popular smiling plush toys in new claims in a London court. 

  • July 13, 2026

    Philip Morris Can't Snuff Out 'Manchester' TM In Font Duel

    European officials have rejected Philip Morris' attempt to nix a Dubai-based tobacco company's trademark for "Manchester" in a similar serif font to its "Marlboro" brand of cigarettes, concluding it was unlikely that shoppers would confuse the starkly different signs.

  • July 13, 2026

    SharkNinja Loses Patent For Foldable Vacuum Cleaner

    A European appeals panel has revoked SharkNinja's patent for a foldable vacuum cleaner, ruling in a decision published Monday that the granted patent extended beyond the company's original application.

  • July 13, 2026

    Treasury Commits £500M To IP-Rich Small Businesses

    Small businesses with valuable intellectual property assets will receive £500 million ($669 million) in financing from the U.K. government's economic development bank over the next year, HM Treasury said Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At M&S' Registered Design Claim Win Against Aldi

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    Adding to the long line of cases seeking to restrain Aldi's attempts to mimic market-leading products, Marks & Spencer's recent success in the U.K. High Court based on registered designs demonstrates that supermarket copycat products may no longer be able to sail so close to the wind, says Alex Borthwick at Powell Gilbert.

  • UK Teva Ruling Brings Patent Remedy Into Question

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    Arrow declarations have been considered an extremely effective tool for patent litigators, but following the recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in Teva v. Novartis it appears that courts are looking to take a more conservative view, say David Holt and Tony Proctor at Potter Clarkson.

  • How CJEU Case Shifts TM Liability For Platforms Like Amazon

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    The EU Court of Justice's recent ruling on Amazon's liability for trademark infringement in relation to fake Christian Louboutin shoes advertised by third parties on its website may leave web platforms that sell third-party vendors' products alongside their own brands more vulnerable to infringement claims, say Louisa Chambers and Helen Reddish at Travers Smith.

  • Europe's New Unitary Patent System Will Affect IP Agreements

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    Marco Stief at Maiwald discusses key points in intellectual property agreements that legal practitioners will need to consider in Europe's soon-to-open centralized patent court, including regional exclusivity in different contracting member states.

  • EU Medicine Reboxing Ruling Gives Guidance To Pharma Cos.

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    The recent landmark decision of the Court of Justice of the EU in Novartis Pharma on repackaging medicines has provided pharma companies with a much-needed framework, with better protections for trademarks and clearer protocols for handling imported products, say Ulf Grundmann and Elisabeth Kohoutek at King & Spalding.

  • A Look Ahead At Key UK Intellectual Property Cases

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    Anticipated 2023 U.K. intellectual property decisions include robotics, artificial intelligence, and clean energy matters that have also been heard in the U.S., while other areas to watch include global fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory issues, as well as COVID-19 patent litigation, say Tom Oliver and Claire Robinson at Powell Gilbert.

  • 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.

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