Intellectual Property UK

  • June 20, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Pogust Goodhead face legal action from mining giant BHP Group, Trainline bring a procurement claim against the Department for Transport, Sworders auction house sue Conservative peer Patricia Rawlings, and Nokia hit with a patents claim by Hisense. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 20, 2025

    AstraZeneca Must Give University More Info In IP Rate Battle

    A London judge on Friday ordered AstraZeneca to give the University of Sheffield more information about how the pharma giant sublicensed its patented cancer drug amid the university's claims that AstraZeneca lied to get better rates.

  • June 20, 2025

    Reckitt Denies Ex-VP's £1M Claim, Cites Trade Secret Breach

    Consumer goods company Reckitt has rejected claims that it owes more than £1 million ($1.4 million) to a former senior executive from Russia, arguing that it fired him ahead of the end of his garden leave because he was working with a bidder for part of its business. 

  • June 20, 2025

    BBC Confronts AI Biz Perplexity Over Content Scraping

    The BBC said Friday that it has threatened to take legal action against Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, claiming that the company trained its model on the broadcaster's content.

  • June 20, 2025

    Janssen Biotech Loses Patent For Lab-Grown Cells

    Janssen Biotech has lost its case at a European Patent Office appellate board to patent its method for treating Type 1 diabetes through lab-grown cells, after the patent appeals board agreed with rival Sanofi that its method lacked the required inventive edge.

  • June 20, 2025

    Mathys & Squire Appoints New Chief For Consulting Arm

    Intellectual property specialist Mathys & Squire LLP said Friday that it has recruited a senior manager at KPMG Law to lead its consulting arm.

  • June 19, 2025

    EPO Rejects Narrow Read Of Patent Claims In Landmark Case

    The top appeals board at the European Patent Office has ruled that examiners must always look at the description and drawings when interpreting patents, ditching the approach of assessing a patent's claims in isolation.

  • June 19, 2025

    Swedish Court Resurrects BSH IP Battle With Electrolux

    Sweden's Svea Court of Appeal has resurrected appliance giant BSH's patent infringement claim against rival Electrolux, following a landmark ruling from the European Union's top court that gives BSH the go-ahead to pursue its claim outside the bloc.

  • June 19, 2025

    Dior Beats Hong Kong Co.'s 'Dio' TM

    European officials have nixed a Hong Kong firm's trademark application for "Dio," ruling that shoppers might think it was somehow linked to the online "Diorverse" range of French luxury brand Christian Dior.

  • June 19, 2025

    Formula One 'Surrenders' Rights To Old EU TM

    Formula One has lost one of its iconic F1 trademarks after declaring its "total surrender" to European officials, having failed to provide any evidence that it had used the sign in the past five years amid a rebranding campaign.

  • June 19, 2025

    Nestlé's Crunch Crumbles After Fitness Brand Challenge

    Nestlé has lost its "Crunch" trademark for a chocolate bar after it left a bid by a British sports nutrition company to nix the mark unchallenged, with officials finding the food giant had not put the mark to good use.

  • June 18, 2025

    Cycling Brand's 'Brooks' TM Row Gets Fresh Air In Appeal Win

    A bicycle gear company has revived its attempt to block a trademark registration by U.S. rival Brooks Running, having convinced an EU appeals board that its saddlebags are a little too close to athletic bags and backpacks aimed at runners.

  • June 18, 2025

    Artist Defends 'Fishrot' Apology Spoof As Free Expression

    An Icelandic artist urged a London appellate judge Wednesday to give him a chance to override a decision that he could not successfully defend against claim from the country's largest seafood company alleging he created a spoof website to publish a false apology over a bribery scandal.

  • June 18, 2025

    Standards Org. Halts 'Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone' TM Bid

    A Bluetooth standards organization has persuaded European Union officials to block a "Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone" trademark application, proving that consumers could connect the mark to the Bluetooth brand.

  • June 18, 2025

    EU Court Affirms Decision To Publicize Pesticide Ingredients

    An agrochemical company lost its appeal at a European court on Wednesday to block the European Food Safety Authority from releasing a confidential list of ingredients in one of its pesticides in the interest of public knowledge.

  • June 18, 2025

    US Biotech Biz Says Rival's Gene Editing Patent Is Invalid

    A U.S. biotech company and two manufacturers have denied they infringed a South Korean rival's gene-editing patent, urging a London court to declare the patent invalid.

  • June 17, 2025

    EasyGroup Appeals TM Loss To 'Easy Live' Auction Co.

    U.K. venture capital conglomerate easyGroup on Tuesday urged a London appellate court to overturn the rejection of its trademark infringement and revocation case against an online auction services provider, arguing a lower court judge had wrongly disregarded evidence of confusion among consumers.

  • June 17, 2025

    UPC Backs Sales Ban On Kits Infringing 10x Genomics Patent

    The Unified Patent Court's Local Düsseldorf Division has ruled that Curio Bioscience's Seeker Spatial Mapping Kits infringed patents by 10x Genomics, upholding an injunction against the U.S. biotech company's rival in Germany, France and Sweden.

  • June 17, 2025

    Music Samples Not Copyright Exempt, Advocate General Says

    The pastiche exemption in European Union copyright law does not apply to the reuse of a musical sample in a new song, an adviser to the bloc's top court said Tuesday.

  • June 17, 2025

    Hat Co. Claims Rival's Dupes Caused 'Greenwashing' Gripe

    A hat brand has accused a rival of selling counterfeit headgear of an inferior quality and hurting its environmentally friendly brand, as consumers were leaving negative reviews accusing it of "greenwashing."

  • June 17, 2025

    Spanish Law Firm Voids Danish Outfit's 'Legaltech' TM

    A Spanish law firm has persuaded European Union officials to void most of a Danish organization's protections over its "Legaltech" name, proving that the word is too descriptive to function as a trademark.

  • June 17, 2025

    Spiritual Org. Says Publisher's Amazon Sales Infringed IP

    A spiritual society has accused a book publisher of infringing its copyright over a set of letters from the 1940s, telling a London court that it did not have the right to sell copies of the works on Amazon.

  • June 16, 2025

    Bratz Maker Beats Rival's £90M Claim Despite Antitrust Breach

    MGA Entertainment Inc., the company behind Bratz dolls, owes no compensation to a rival despite running a campaign of "undeniable" antitrust violations and making unjustified threats of patent infringement litigation, a London judge said Monday.

  • June 16, 2025

    Taxi Payment Business Accuses Ex-Director Of Copying App

    A company providing card payment services to taxi drivers has accused a former director of breaching his duties and infringing its copyright by poaching senior developers to set up a rival payment system. 

  • June 16, 2025

    TotalEnergies Can't Nix Dow's Sports Turf Patent

    Chemical producer Dow Global Technologies defeated a challenge to its patent on a method for making artificial turf and sports tracks, after European officials rejected TotalEnergies' arguments that an earlier invention had already revealed how to make a specific polymer. 

Expert Analysis

  • Should Patent Disputes Be Filed In The ITC Or UPC?

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    When companies must choose between initiating patent litigation in the U.S. International Trade Commission or the European Union's Unified Patent Court, the ITC may offer a few distinct advantages, but ultimately the decision requires consideration of case-specific factors, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Prospects And Challenges For Expert Evidence At The UPC

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    Expert testimony on economic or damages-related issues will likely play a larger part in Unified Patent Court proceedings in the near future, potentially presenting unique challenges for experts, counsel and judges alike, say analysts at Charles River.

  • Strategies For Litigating In The Unified Patent Court

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    Since opening its gates two years ago, the European Unified Patent Court has transformed the patent litigation landscape and global litigation strategies, but parties seeking to take advantage of the court's robust processes must be prepared for the front-loaded character of UPC proceedings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Incorporating UKIPO Guidance Into AI Patent Strategies

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    Updated guidance from the U.K. Intellectual Property Office sheds light on how it assesses patents for artificial intelligence inventions and highlights approaches that improve applicants' options for demonstrating that AI provides a technical contribution, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Clarity On Knotty Patent Jurisdiction Questions From CJEU

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    The recent ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union in BSH v. Electrolux sheds light on how the jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court competes with that of the EU member state courts over infringement and validity actions, and could extend international jurisdiction of the EU courts in several ways, say lawyers at August Debouzy.

  • Opinion

    UK Court Of Appeal's FRAND Ruling Is Troubling

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    The U.K. Court of Appeal's recent decision in Optis v. Apple disregards a lower court's extensive factual findings and contradicts its own precedent regarding fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms for cellular patents, says Enrico Bonadio at the University of London.

  • What Businesses Need To Know About EU Design Law Reform

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    Recent reforms to European Union design protection law will broaden the scope of what constitutes protected designs and products, likely creating new opportunities and considerations for businesses operating within the EU or those engaging with its markets, say lawyers at Foley & Lardner.

  • What Latest VC Model Document Revisions Offer UK Investors

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    Recent updates to the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association model documents, reflecting prevailing U.K. market practice on early-stage equity financing terms and increasing focus on compliance issues, provide needed protection for investors in relation to the growth in global foreign direct investment regimes, say lawyers at Davis Polk.

  • Protecting Brand Identity In An AI-Driven Marketplace

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    A lawsuit recently filed in New York federal court marks a critical moment in the intersection of artificial intelligence and trademark law, underscoring the importance of — and challenges surrounding — IP owners' ability to protect their brands as AI-generated content continues to grow, says Wendy Heilbut at Heilbut LLC.

  • Opt-Out Strategy Considerations After Ruling In UPC Appeal

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    The Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court in AIM Sport Development v. Supponor recently clarified the circumstances under which a withdrawal of an opt-out from UPC jurisdiction is possible, bringing new strategic considerations for both patentees and potential defendants, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Opinion

    EU's AI Code Of Practice Creates Risk Of Regulatory Clashes

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    The second draft of the European Commission's Artificial Intelligence Code of Practice significantly expands beyond the European Union's existing legal framework for AI — especially around copyright protection, public transparency and reporting obligations — and risks interfering with other EU laws by introducing requirements contrary to existing regulations, say lawyers at MoFo.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Key Points From Gov't Consultation On Copyright And AI

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    The U.K. government’s current consultation on mitigating artificial intelligence input and output risks to copyright holders seeks to facilitate copyright holders in bringing actions against AI developers that make unauthorized use of protected works and mandate consistent labeling of AI-generated content, say lawyers at Deloitte.

  • What 2025 Holds For UK, EU Restructuring And Insolvency

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    European Union and U.K. restructuring developments in 2024, with a new era of director accountability, the use of cramdown tools and the emergence of aggressive liability management exercises, mean greater consideration of creditors' interests and earlier engagement in restructuring discussions can be expected this year, says Inga West at Ashurst.

  • What To Know As EU Urges Outbound Investment Reviews

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    A recent European Commission recommendation urges European Union member states to review outbound investments in certain critical technologies sectors, but does not clarify the next steps for states once information on relevant transactions in third countries is received, say lawyers at Cleary.

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