Intellectual Property UK

  • September 09, 2025

    Microsoft Cannot Restrict Software Aftermarket, Reseller Says

    Counsel for an English software reseller argued at the competition tribunal in London on Tuesday that Microsoft is stifling the legal resale of its software licenses, kicking off the company's antitrust and intellectual property claim.

  • September 09, 2025

    Tether Accuses Crypto Trader Of Unlawful Suit Over Bitcoin JV

    Tether accused a crypto trading company in a London court on Tuesday of knowingly bringing an unlawful claim over a soured bitcoin mining joint venture after the trader conceded that it did not own the intellectual assets of the joint venture vehicle.

  • September 09, 2025

    Oncology Biotech Sues Rival Over Cancer-Testing Patent

    An American oncology biotechnology company has sued a Swiss rival for patent infringement, arguing that the medical software business' cancer test and "cutting-edge" platform to accurately analyze data about a patient's blood sample was actually ripping off its technology.

  • September 09, 2025

    Diazyme Fends Off Challenge To Vitamin D Testing Patent

    European officials have dismissed a law firm's claim that a patent for a vitamin D testing method does nothing new, since Diazyme Laboratories Inc. had eliminated the need for a tedious washing process. 

  • September 09, 2025

    French Cosmetics Biz Denies Copying Rival's LED Mask

    A French cosmetics company has denied copying a British competitor's LED light-therapy mask designs, telling a London court that it had no intention of duping its rival's customers.

  • September 09, 2025

    Apple Swerves UPC Claim Over Location-Tagging Tech

    A patent monetization firm has dropped its infringement action against Apple at the Unified Patent Court, withdrawing its claim that the technology giant had used vital location-tagging technology without permission.

  • September 08, 2025

    Taylor Wessing Munich Partners Launch New IP Boutique

    Five German patent partners at Taylor Wessing LLP are poised to leave the firm in the fall to launch their own legal outfit called Pentarc.

  • September 08, 2025

    Family Biz Hits Back At Builder's Bid To Claw Back TM Fees

    A family firm has asserted that a trademark for "Miller Metcalfe" was properly transferred to it despite a homebuilder's claims, giving it every right to collect £150,000 ($203,225) in license fees over five years.

  • September 08, 2025

    Jimmy Choo Loses Challenge To 'CHHU' Jewelry TM

    Designer shoemaker Jimmy Choo has lost its bid to block a "chhu" trademark for jewelry after European Union officials found consumers would be able to distinguish between the two.

  • September 08, 2025

    BASF Fends Off Syngenta Challenge To Crop Protection IP

    Chemicals giant BASF has fought off the latest challenge by Syngenta Crop Protection AG to its patent for a way of controlling fungi in crops, convincing an appeals board that the patent is new over a series of earlier blueprints for similar pesticides.

  • September 08, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Steers Servier On $450M Autism Drug Buy

    French pharmaceutical group Servier said Monday it has acquired a potential treatment for the most common genetic cause of autism from U.K.-based biotech Kaerus Bioscience Ltd., in a transaction that could be worth up to $450 million. 

  • September 05, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen professional boxing promoter Boxxer take action against the former head of boxing at Matchroom Sport, Aegis Motor Insurance and Chubb European Group clash over a reinsurance claim, and a transgender pool player sue the English Blackball Pool Federation over its decision to ban her competing in women's teams and tournaments. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Edwards Lifesciences Settles Heart Valve Patent Spat

    Edwards Lifesciences has settled its Unified Patent Court dispute with rivals Sintec and Value Med, with the companies agreeing not to sell prosthetic heart valves that infringe Edwards' IP in Europe.

  • September 05, 2025

    Sabadell Can't Nix Swiss Investment Firm's TM 

    Spanish bank Sabadell failed to convince European officials to nix an investment firm's mark for the letter "B" because the fact that its own mark also contained a "B" wasn't enough to make the public think that their financial services were somehow linked. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Top Commercial Dispute Cases To Watch In The Rest Of 2025

    Litigators will be eagerly awaiting the first "dieselgate" trial in what will be the largest ever group action in England and Wales when the courts return after the summer recess, as well as keeping an eye out for the outcome of a £36 billion ($49 billion) claim against BHP. Here, Law360 looks at those and other big cases to watch out for the rest of 2025.

  • September 05, 2025

    Arkema Unit Beats Appeal For EU Hydrogenation Patent

    Mexican chemical company Mexichem Fluor has failed to convince European officials that its patent for a chemical de-hydrogenation process is inventive, after opposition brought by the French branch of specialty materials maker Arkema Group.

  • September 05, 2025

    Halozyme Defends Drug Delivery IP In Battle With Merck

    Halozyme has denied claims that its patent for an under-the-skin drug delivery system should be nixed, asking a London court to stop Merck Sharp & Dohme from launching a new cancer drug that copies the technology.

  • September 04, 2025

    ECJ Says Partners Can Represent Their Firms In EU Courts

    The European Union's top court said Thursday that partners can represent their law firms before the bloc's courts as long as there is no "manifestly detrimental effect" on their capacity as a representative.

  • September 04, 2025

    ECJ Says Experts Not Needed To Weigh Design Rights In Lego

    Europe's highest court ruled Thursday that the question over whether a product infringes on design rights doesn't need to be answered by a technical expert, saying an informed user should be able to make the call in a dispute over protections for Lego pieces.  

  • September 04, 2025

    Poland Must Pay Commission €8M For Copyright Failings

    The European Union's highest court ordered Poland on Thursday to pay the European Commission €8.3 million ($11.1 million) alongside daily fines for adopting the bloc's copyright law reforms three years after the deadline had passed.

  • September 04, 2025

    Energy Giant OMV Gets Hygiene Biz's TM Nixed On Appeal

    Austrian energy major OMV has persuaded a European Union court to nix an identical mark of its name, overturning an earlier ruling that the reputation of its brand in the oil sector did not overlap with the other company's feminine hygiene products.

  • September 04, 2025

    3M Loses Appeal For Hand-Held Spray Gun EU Patent

    3M Innovative Properties Co., a unit of U.S. tech conglomerate 3M, has lost its appeal against a decision that blocks its European patent for a hand-held spray gun.

  • September 04, 2025

    UKIPO Weighs Protection For AI-Generated Designs

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office said Thursday that it is reviewing whether artificial intelligence-generated designs should be eligible for protection in Britain.

  • September 03, 2025

    Italian Police Take Assets Of Cos. Accused Of €40M VAT Fraud

    Italian authorities seized assets Wednesday from two software companies, uncovering evidence that they defrauded European governments of around €40 million ($46.7 million) in value-added taxes, the European Public Prosecutor's Office and Italian Financial Police said.

  • September 03, 2025

    The Biggest UK IP Developments Of 2025 So Far

    British courts have opened the doors for brand owners to crack down on look-alikes, gone back and forth on whether parties should agree to a license mid-patent dispute, and are staring down the barrel of a future where European courts can rule on infringement of U.K. patents.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Fashion IP Lessons From UK Design Rights Ruling

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    The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court’s recent ruling in Edwards v. Boohoo.com illustrates the challenges that independent designers face when attempting to enforce unregistered design rights in an era dominated by fast fashion, while also highlighting the utility of the IPEC, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • 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.

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