Intellectual Property UK

  • October 12, 2026

    Rituals Cosmetics Wipes Away TM Bid For 'Ritual Místico'

    Global beauty brand Rituals has blocked a Spanish company's bid to register "Ritual Místico," after showing that European shoppers would likely think it was a sub-brand of the Dutch cosmetics retailer. 

  • October 12, 2026

    Renault's 'Clio' TM Clipped By German Pen Maker Klio

    Renault can no longer stop competitors from using the "clio" name to sell printing products and stationery, after a German pen maker convinced European officials to narrow the sign as shoppers might think it was linked to an earlier "Klio" brand of pens.

  • October 12, 2026

    Black Sheep Coffee Blocks 'Black Sheep Club' EU TM Bid

    Black Sheep Coffee has persuaded a European Union panel to narrow an opponent's "Black Sheep Club" trademark application, after the panel found that consumers in the bloc are likely to mix up the two brands.

  • October 12, 2026

    Goodwin Procter-Led Biotech Completes €30M Acquisition

    Paris-listed Valerio Therapeutics said Monday it has completed its acquisition of Belgian vaccines technology company Etherna in a cash and shares transaction worth approximately €30 million ($33.5 million).

  • October 09, 2026

    DJ Says Ex-Managers Betrayed Her With Co-Ownership Claim

    A DJ and record producer has pushed back against her former managers' claims that she owes £200,000 ($265,000) in commission, arguing that she ended their deal only after they improperly tried to obtain copyright ownership of her label.

  • October 09, 2026

    Sports Data Co. Settles With Ex-Exec Over Client List Emails

    A subsidiary of sports data company Stats Perform has settled its claims accusing a former executive of breaching his employment contract, ending litigation sparked by his decision to send documents to his personal email address.

  • October 09, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen PrivatBank sue its former oligarch owner, building materials provider Kingspan face a €100 million ($112 million) claim over Grenfell Tower cladding and energy giants VaroPreem and Viaro Energy become embroiled in an intellectual property row.

  • October 09, 2026

    B&Q Rival Can't Use AI To Find New Evidence In TM Clash

    A London court has declined to order the use of an artificial intelligence-based image searching tool in B&Q's trademark clash with rival kitchen retailer Wren, deeming the additional disclosure as too expensive.

  • October 09, 2026

    Snap Must Ask Dolby For RAND License, Pool Operator Says

    Access Advance LLC has denied that it must offer Snap a bespoke license covering Dolby-owned patents in its video-coding patent pool, telling a court that the Snapchat operator should seek a license directly from the audio technology firm.

  • October 09, 2026

    PM Pledges 'Long Overdue' Restrictions On Noncompetes

    The prime minister confirmed Friday that the government will legislate to ensure noncompete and other post-employment contractual clauses are "no longer a barrier" to hiring, but lawyers say reforms must be more nuanced than Andy Burnham's remarks suggested.

  • October 08, 2026

    AI Patents Must Solve Real Issues After Emotional Perception

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office's decision to deny Emotional Perception AI's application to patent its AI-utilizing media recommendation system shows that the onus is on those looking to protect their digital inventions to identify the real-world problems that they solve first and foremost, lawyers say.

  • October 08, 2026

    Paddington Owners Say 'Shock' Puppet Sketches Aren't Satire

    The owners of the rights to Paddington Bear have pushed back against a satirical show's claims that its depiction of the beloved furry character snorting cocaine and selling guns was merely a parody, arguing that it was instead extreme "shock humor." 

  • October 08, 2026

    Fish & Richardson Adds UPC Litigator In Munich

    Fish & Richardson has bolstered its Munich office with a new Unified Patent Court litigator, who said Thursday that his new firm is "uniquely positioned" to build a standout practice at the unitary European forum.

  • October 08, 2026

    Halozyme Stops MSD Sales Of Cancer Jab In Parts Of Europe

    Halozyme has persuaded a Dutch court to stop Merck Sharp & Dohme from selling an injectable version of the cancer treatment Keytruda in parts of Europe, proving that the product infringes its patent for subcutaneous drug delivery.

  • October 08, 2026

    Construction Exec Can Appeal Scope Of 9-Month Noncompete

    A senior executive at a building materials company won permission Thursday to challenge a ruling enforcing a nine-month noncompete clause, as an appeals court agreed to hear arguments that the restriction went further than necessary to protect her former employer.

  • October 07, 2026

    Photographer Hits Back At Fashion Label Over Image Use

    A photographer has maintained that Fairfax & Favor deliberately flouted his copyright by using his images after its license expired, while rejecting the brand's claim that showcasing them in his online portfolio infringed its trademarks. 

  • October 07, 2026

    Lush Loses TM For Pharmaceutical And Skin Care Products

    Lush has failed to hold onto its name as a trademark for pharmaceutical products, after the company failed to provide evidence it had used it commercially in the last five years.

  • October 07, 2026

    Abbott Admits Rival's Glucose Monitors May Not Infringe IP

    Abbott has admitted in a London court that a Chinese rival's competing glucose monitor may not infringe its patents, yielding ground to its opponent in a lengthy dispute over their tech for diabetes patients.

  • October 07, 2026

    OnlyFans Facing Group Claim Over 'Exploitation' Of Creators

    OnlyFans is facing a group claim in England over "exploitative" arrangements involving third-party managers who routinely deprive content creators of their earnings, the company leading the case said on Wednesday.

  • October 07, 2026

    Takeda Says Samsung Biosimilar Plans Infringe Entyvio IP

    Takeda has fought back against Samsung's bid to nix two patents covering its Entyvio-branded drug for Crohn's disease, arguing that the rival was infringing its rights with plans to commercialize biosimilar versions.

  • October 06, 2026

    Aston Martin Dealer Denies Selling Fake Car For £880K

    A specialist Aston Martin dealership has denied selling an allegedly fake sports car to a collector for £880,000 ($1.2 million), telling a London court that it had every reason to believe that the vehicle was real.

  • October 06, 2026

    Roblox Says 'Rocblox' Sweets Mimic Its Famous Blocky Brand

    The company behind Roblox has accused a food manufacturer of taking unfair advantage of its reputation by selling "Rocblox" candy in the U.K., which allegedly evokes the popular gaming platform's blocky avatars and pixelated aesthetic. 

  • October 06, 2026

    Celine Blocks Rival's 'Cēlyn' TM For Cosmetics In EU

    French fashion house Celine has persuaded European officials to block a retailer from registering "Cēlyn" as a trademark, showing that shoppers would likely confuse the two brands when buying makeup and other cosmetic products. 

  • October 06, 2026

    Pop Mart Wins Dutch Ban On Fake Labubu Toys

    A Dutch court has prohibited a supplier from continuing to sell counterfeit Labubu dolls to a local supermarket chain, finding that it was infringing on Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's trademarks for the monster toys.

  • October 06, 2026

    Italian PM Meloni Wants Voice TM Amid AI Deepfake Risk

    Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed for a European Union trademark over her voice in a move potentially designed to combat the risk of artificial intelligence deepfakes.

Expert Analysis

  • Navigating Legal Privilege Issues When Using AI

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    The recent explosion in artificial intelligence has led to prompts and AI outputs that may be susceptible to disclosure in proceedings, and it is important to apply familiar principles to assess whether legal privilege may apply to these interactions, say lawyers at HSF.

  • UK Getty Ruling Tests Balance Of IP Rights And AI Industry

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    The recent Getty Images v. Stability AI High Court decision, rejecting copyright claims while upholding limited trademark infringement, will influence the creative community and U.K. artificial intelligence industry alike, and the training of AI models in the U.K. is still a risk, say lawyers at Powell Gilbert.

  • Role Of UK Investment Act Is Evolving In M&A Deals

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    With merger and acquisition activity likely to increase in light of the government’s new defense industrial strategy, the role of the National Security and Investment Act will come into sharper focus, and its recent annual report confirms that scrutiny is intensifying, say lawyers at Kingsley Napley.

  • Growth, Harmonization In Focus As Hague System Turns 100

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    One hundred years after its establishment, the Hague System has grown into an important pillar of international design protection, offering a promising path toward even greater harmonization in design law as its geographic reach continues to expand, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • EPO Referral May Shift Patent Description Amendment Rules

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    The European Patent Office’s recent referral G 1/25 to the Enlarged Board of Appeal seeks to offer clarification on inconsistencies concerning requirements for description amendments, which could bring a change in direction for the EPO that potentially harmonizes its prosecution process with those of other countries, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • What To Know About Interim Licenses In Global FRAND Cases

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    Recent U.K. court decisions have shaped a framework for interim licenses in global standard-essential patent disputes, under which parties can benefit from operating on temporary terms while a court determines the final fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms — but the future of this developing remedy is in doubt, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • EU Act Establishes Data Sharing Rules, But Hurdles Remain

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    The recently effective European Union Data Act provisions establish harmonized rules to unlock the use of data generated by technology-embedded software, but leave practical challenges that organizations will need to navigate to comply with cross-border requirements, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

  • 5 Ways To Address The Legal Risks Of Employee AI Use

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    Employees’ use of unauthorized artificial intelligence tools has become a regulatory issue, and in-house legal counsel are best placed to close the gap between governance controls and innovation, mitigating the risk of organizations' exposure to noncompliance with European Union and U.K. data protection requirements, say lawyers at MoFo.

  • EU-US Data Transfer Ruling Offers Reassurance To Cos.

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    The European Union General Court’s recent upholding of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework in Latombe v. European Commission, although subject to appeal, provides companies with legal certainty for the first time by allowing the transfer of European Economic Area personal data without relying on alternative mechanisms, say lawyers at Wilson Sonsini.

  • Between The Lines Of EPO's Adoption Of Color Drawings

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    The European Patent Office's decision to accept patent drawings in color starting in October may enhance clarity in technical disclosures and streamline the examination process, and could also enable new patent filing strategies for international applicants, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.

  • How WTO's Anti-Suit Injunction Ruling Affects IP Stakeholders

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    The World Trade Organization's recent ruling in favor of the European Union's challenge to Chinese courts' anti-suit injunction practices should hearten holders of standard-essential patents, while implementers can take solace that they retain mechanisms to distinguish the WTO decision when seeking anti-suit injunctions in U.S. courts, says Michael Franzinger at Dentons.

  • How Logo Confusion Ruling Expands TM Protection

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    The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Iconix v. Dream Pairs confirms that postsale confusion is actionable in trademark infringement claims, and also warns appellate courts to not rewrite lower courts' factual analyses, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • IP Considerations As UK Maintains Exhaustion Regime

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    The U.K. government's decision to keep its existing regime of exhaustion of intellectual property rights means IP owners should review their existing and new European distribution agreements to account for the different regimes in the U.K. and European Union, says Rebecca Anderson-Smith at Mewburn Ellis.

  • EPO Ruling On Claim Interpretation Will Have Broad Impact

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    The European Patent Office Enlarged Board of Appeal’s recent decision, finding that the description and drawings in a patent should always be consulted to interpret claims, will fundamentally change how the EPO interprets patent claims in both examination and opposition proceedings, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Challenges Law Firms Face In Recruiting Competitor Teams

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    Since the movement of lawyer teams from a competitor can bring legal considerations and commercial risks into play, both the target and recruiting firms should be familiar with the relevant limited liability partnership deed to protect their business, say lawyers at Fox & Partners.

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