Intellectual Property UK

  • July 22, 2026

    Universal Music Can't Bag 'Casablanca Records' TM In UK

    Universal Music Group has failed to register the trademark "Casablanca Records" after a Parisian fashion label convinced British officials that there was a high likelihood that consumers would confuse the two brands. 

  • July 22, 2026

    Apple Says Tech Co.'s US Action Undercuts Wireless Fee Deal

    Apple has urged an Israeli tech company to abandon U.S. litigation over a royalties dispute for wireless charging patents, saying the case is no longer necessary because the companies agreed to negotiate new licensing terms in the U.K.

  • July 22, 2026

    Payments Biz Says Rival Copied Business Advice Guide

    A payments software company has filed a copyright infringement claim over a 6,000-word guide for businesses that it had published online, telling a London court that a rival republished the text on its own websites.

  • July 21, 2026

    Starmer's IP Policy Chief Picked For New AI Cabinet Role

    Prime Minister Andy Burnham has handed a cabinet role to artificial intelligence minister Kanishka Narayan, raising questions about the fate of intellectual property — previously part of Narayan's remit — within a reshuffled government.

  • July 21, 2026

    Hugo Boss Fells Spanish Timber Co.'s 'Boss' TM

    Hugo Boss has successfully contested a Spanish timber company's bid to register the trademark "Boss," as European officials ruled that consumers would inevitably confuse the name with the global menswear brand.

  • July 21, 2026

    Korean Skincare Co. Revives Tissue Repair Patent At EPO

    A Korean skincare company has won a second shot at securing protection for a patent designed to repair damaged tissue, as an appellate board found that a critical manufacturing step was already disclosed in its original application.

  • July 21, 2026

    Jellycat Hits Back At Retailer Over Plush Bag Charms

    Jellycat has pushed back against a claim by a London accessories retailer that its bag charms would not be mistaken for the toymaker's plush range, arguing that consumers would struggle to tell them apart because of their anthropomorphic features.

  • July 21, 2026

    US Arms-Maker Says Rival Can't Void Drone Tech Over Demo

    An American defense contractor has maintained that a drone manufacturer deliberately copied its design, telling a court that its British rival could not sidestep the claim by arguing that the patent was invalid because it had publicly demonstrated a prototype.

  • July 20, 2026

    Burnham Vows 'Circuit Breaker' Moment As He Becomes PM

    Andy Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer as British prime minister on Monday, pledging to end four decades of private sector-led policy by expanding state control over people's well-being and the economy.

  • July 20, 2026

    Engineering Head Denies Stealing Confidential Drone Tech

    A former British aerospace company engineer has denied sharing its confidential data with a U.S. rival, saying a copy of a propulsion system she designed gave her no competitive advantage because she deleted it soon after leaving.

  • July 20, 2026

    J&J Unit Infringed Blood Cancer Patent, US Gov't Says

    The U.S. has accused a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary of infringing a U.S. government patent covering a blood cancer treatment, stepping up its response amid an ongoing claim that the patent is invalid.

  • July 20, 2026

    Jaguar Puts Brakes On Ineos' Bid To Nix Defender Design

    Jaguar Land Rover has defeated Ineos Automotive's bid to invalidate the trademark protecting its classic Defender design, after European officials ruled the off-road vehicle's shape remains widely recognizable by consumers across the bloc.

  • July 20, 2026

    Atari Sues Alleged Copycat Firm In Passing Off Claim

    Video game giant Atari has sued an alleged copycat company, seeking damages and an injunction to prevent it from using the Atari name after claiming it deliberately infringed trademarks associated with its 54-year-old brand.

  • July 20, 2026

    Alibaba Co. Fined €550M By EU Over Illegal, Unsafe Products

    The European Union fined online retailer AliExpress €550 million ($629 million) on Monday for failing to prevent the sale of illegal, unsafe and counterfeit products on its platform, the largest-ever financial penalty handed for breaching the bloc's digital rules.

  • July 17, 2026

    InterDigital Drops Amazon UPC Case For Arbitration

    InterDigital has formally dropped its bid to block Amazon from infringing its video streaming intellectual property at Europe's patent court after the two companies agreed to resolve their dispute through arbitration.   

  • July 17, 2026

    Anne Frank Ruling Balances Public Access And IP Online

    A ruling by Europe's highest court that geo-blocking measures can sufficiently restrict public access to works from territories where copyright remains in force strikes an effective balance between protecting territorial IP rights and allowing public domain works to proliferate, experts say.

  • July 17, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Snapchat and Dolby press on with a fresh infringement claim in their ongoing patent battle, The Telegraph face an intellectual property claim by a photo archive, a group of international human rights barristers and chambers sued, and oil business Equinor embroiled in a contract dispute with BP after recently acquiring full ownership in their offshore project. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • July 17, 2026

    UPC Scraps Inspection For Reactor Used In EU Research

    Europe's patent court has revoked an inspection order that allowed a sustainable technology company to open up a rival's containers to check whether a hydrogen reactor was infringing its patent, as the reactor was clearly being used for experimental purposes as part of an EU research project. 

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Examining The New UK Service Guidance For TM Proceedings

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    A new much-anticipated U.K. Intellectual Property Office practice notice affects situations where there is no valid U.K. address for service of documents in trademark and registered design proceedings, and will mean rights holders are on notice at an earlier stage of proceedings, with limited time in which to respond, says Nina O'Sullivan at Mishcon de Reya.

  • 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.

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