Intellectual Property UK

  • April 27, 2026

    Font Designer Revives Royalties Claim Struck Out As Abuse

    A font designer revived her claim on Monday for an estimated £300,000 ($406,000) in unpaid royalties against a type foundry, as a London appeals court concluded that the case should not have been struck out as an abuse of process.

  • April 27, 2026

    Dior Perfume Line Blocks Brewery's 'Lucky Bastard' TM In EU

    Christian Dior's fragrance unit has persuaded European officials to nix a Czech beer maker's trademark application for "Lucky Bastard" over diet pills, after proving that shoppers might get confused and make a connection with its "Lucky"-branded luxury perfume. 

  • April 27, 2026

    UPC Allows Challenges To Validity Of Expired Patents

    The Unified Patent Court has confirmed that it will hear challenges to patents that have already expired, adding that parties may want to target expired patents to dodge historical infringement claims.

  • April 24, 2026

    Top Court Set To Rule On FRAND Obligations For Patent Pools

    The U.K. Supreme Court is set to consider Monday whether the country's courts can set licensing rates for patents offered through a patent pool for 5G-enabled vehicles, as questions mount over the U.K.'s approach to standard-essential patent litigation.

  • April 24, 2026

    UPC Says Infringement In 1 Country Justifies Broad Injunction

    Europe's patent court has ruled that infringement in just one of the countries that have signed up to it is enough to justify an injunction covering all of them, in a case over a device used in plastic surgery to create a 3D image of the face or other body parts.

  • April 24, 2026

    Nokia Wins Anti-Anti-Suit Injunction In Patent Case

    Nokia has won an anti-anti-suit injunction against Geely amid their ongoing patent licensing feud, persuading the Unified Patent Court to block the carmaker from seeking anti-suit injunctions of its own in China.

  • April 24, 2026

    Film Co. Wins Claim Co-Founder Diverted Work To Rival

    A London judge ruled Friday that a former director and co-founder of a video production company breached his duties to it by diverting business and misusing company information to run a competitor.

  • April 24, 2026

    Rolex Calls Time On Rival's 'Lolex' TM For Pillows

    Rolex has convinced European officials to nix a travel blanket maker's trademark application for "Lolex" over certain pillows, ruling that shoppers would think that the products were part of a Rolex-branded line of luxurious home furnishing.

  • April 24, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen a Hong Kong company sue the government and a COVID-19 PPE company linked to Tory peer Michelle Mone, an oligarch bring a fresh claim against a rival in a long-running feud, a rugby league club sue over a canceled mass dance event, and Visa and Mastercard hit with legal action from H&M, Eurostar, and Bang & Olufsen. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • April 23, 2026

    Copyright Deals Can Hinge On EU Contract Laws, AG Says

    An adviser to the European Union's top court clarified on Thursday when judges should interpret the validity of cross-border copyright agreements in line with the bloc's conflict-of-laws rules governing contracts.

  • April 23, 2026

    BAT Unit Beats 'Man Royals International' TM For Cigarettes

    A subsidiary of BAT has convinced European officials to nix an Iraqi manufacturer's trademark for "Man Royals International" over tobacco products after it showed that shoppers might link it to its "Royals" brand.

  • April 23, 2026

    ECJ Says Italian Laws Cannot Extend Preliminary Injunctions

    The European Union's highest court ruled Thursday that bloc members cannot keep preliminary injunctions in place in intellectual property cases once someone has missed the cutoff to formally file a claim.

  • April 23, 2026

    Crocs Loses Appeal Over Clog Similarity To 'Holey Soles'

    A European court has rejected Crocs' bid to regain exclusive rights over a clog-shoe design following a challenge from a rival shoemaker, as an earlier design for shoes branded as "Holey Soles" looked far too similar to the American company's model.

  • April 23, 2026

    Vape Co.'s Lawyer Beats Rival's UKIPO Email Contempt Claim

    A Chinese vape company and its solicitors defeated contempt proceedings over emails that asked the U.K. Intellectual Property Office to delay registering a trademark pending an appeal, as a London judge ruled on Thursday that this was "nothing improper."

  • April 22, 2026

    Biogen Loses Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Patent On Appeal

    European appellate officials have revoked a Biogen patent for a multiple sclerosis treatment, ruling that the pharmaceutical giant had wrongly narrowed its patented claims compared with the more general statements of its first application. 

  • April 22, 2026

    WIPO Head Gets Another Term To Lead UN Agency

    World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Daren Tang has been reappointed to the position after being nominated by its coordination committee earlier this year to again lead the United Nations agency.

  • April 22, 2026

    Nokia Fights English Court's Jurisdiction To Hear RAND Claim

    Nokia told the Court of Appeal on Wednesday that the English courts have no business setting terms to license its suite of video-codec patents to Acer and Asus, marking the latest jurisdictional spat over standard-essential patents to reach the appellate court.

  • April 22, 2026

    Drugmaker Denies Ripping Off Veterinary Injection Patent

    A drugmaker has denied copying a Dechra unit's formula used to treat vomiting in cats and dogs, arguing that the pharmaceutical company never held a valid patent over the formula in the U.K.

  • April 22, 2026

    P&G Beats Coffee Co.'s Bid To Nix Pepto-Bismol TM

    European officials have rejected a Spanish café owner's bid to revoke Procter & Gamble's "Pepto" trademark, ruling that shoppers wouldn't mix it up with "Cafes Pepetto" because coffee products had nothing to do with Pepto-Bismol medication for indigestion.

  • April 21, 2026

    Sports Direct Challenges Costs In 10-Year Polo Club TM Spat

    Counsel for Sports Direct asked the Court of Appeal on Tuesday to reconsider whether the licensing arm of Lifestyle Equities should be awarded costs for prevailing in a decade-old trademark fight over the Beverly Hills Polo Club brand.

  • April 21, 2026

    Airbnb Puts Virtual Reality Co.'s 'Vrbnb' Logo TM To Bed

    Airbnb has persuaded a European Union panel to revoke a French company's "Vrbnb" trademark after arguing that its opponent has failed to use the mark within the bloc in recent years.

  • April 21, 2026

    Distillery Denies Infringing Brewery's 'Titanic' TM

    A British distillery has denied infringing a brewery's "Titanic" trademark covering beers, telling a London court that its own Titanic brand has "peacefully coexisted" in the separate market for gin.

  • April 21, 2026

    Apple Sues Tech Biz In Wireless Charging Licensing Row

    Apple has accused an Israeli tech company of demanding excessive fees for wireless charging patents and using parallel litigation in the U.S. to pressure the iPhone maker into accepting an unfair licensing deal. 

  • April 21, 2026

    TomTom Rebuts £5.2M Royalties Claim From Parking Biz

    TomTom has denied owing £5.2 million ($7 million) in royalties under a licensing agreement with a company that indexes car park locations, arguing at a London court that its opponent owes money under the deal.

  • April 27, 2026

    The 2026 UK Lawyer Satisfaction Survey: Where Do You Stand?

    How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 UK Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.

Expert Analysis

  • UK Ruling Revitalizes Discussions On Harmonizing AI And IP

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    The U.K. Supreme Court's decision in Thaler v. Comptroller-General last month has reinvigorated ongoing discussions about how the developments in artificial intelligence fit within the existing intellectual property legislative landscape, illustrating that effective regulation will be critical as the value and influence of this sector grows, say Nick White and Olivia Gray at Charles Russell.

  • AI Inventorship Patent Options After UK Supreme Court Ruling

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    The U.K. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Thaler v. Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks that an AI system cannot be an inventor raises questions about alternative approaches to patent protection for AI-generated inventions and how the decision might affect infringement and validity disputes around such patents, says David Knight at Brown Rudnick.

  • Acquisition Of AI Tech Poses Challenges For Media Industry

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    The artificial intelligence regulatory landscape is changing quickly, and media and entertainment companies planning to acquire AI technology through a merger, acquisition or licensing deal should be mindful of potential new compliance requirements and AI-specific insurance products, say lawyers at Covington.

  • Cos. Should Weave Metaverse Considerations Into IP Strategy

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    In light of the increasing importance of intellectual property protection in digital contexts, including a growing number of court rulings and recent updates to the classification of digital assets, companies should include the metaverse as part of their trademark strategy to prevent potential infringements, says Gabriele Engels at D Young & Co.

  • Mitigating Compliance And Litigation Risks Of Evolving Tech

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    Amid artificial intelligence and other technological advances, companies must prepare for the associated risks, including a growing suite of privacy regulations, enterprising class action theories and consumer protection challenges, and proliferating disclosure obligations, say attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland.

  • Major EU AI Banking Ruling Will Reverberate Across Sectors

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    Following the European Court of Justice's recent OQ v. Land Hessen decision that banks' use of AI-driven credit scores to make consumer decisions did not comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, regulators indicated that the ruling would apply broadly, leaving numerous industries that employ AI-powered decisions open to scrutiny, say lawyers at Alston & Bird.

  • English Could Be The Future Language Of The UPC

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    While most Unified Patent Court proceedings are currently held in German, the recent decisions in Plant-e v. Arkyne and Amgen v. Sanofi potentially signal that English will be the preferred language, particularly in cases involving small and medium enterprises, say lawyers at Freshfields.

  • Arbitration Remains Attractive For Digital Disputes In 2024

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    Recent regulatory and digital forum developments highlight that, in 2024, arbitration will continue to adapt to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, and remain an attractive forum for resolving digital disputes due to its flexibility, confidentiality and comparative ease to enforce cross-border awards, says Peter Smith at Charles Russell.

  • US And UK Law Firms Continue Trend Of EU Expansion

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    A broad spectrum of U.S. and U.K. law firms are now seeking fresh opportunities in Europe's fastest growing and constantly evolving sectors by opening offices in strategic locations across the continent, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.

  • Looking Ahead At AI Regulation In The EU And UK

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    With AI regulation agreed upon in Europe and a U.K. regulatory authority on the horizon, organizations developing AI should consider deploying governance, addressing accountability and establishing internal guardrails to achieve a balanced approach to responsible innovation while managing risk, says Chris Eastham at Fieldfisher.

  • 2024 Will Be A Busy Year For Generative AI And IP Issues

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    In light of increased litigation and policy proposals on balancing intellectual property rights and artificial intelligence innovation, 2024 is shaping up to be full of fast-moving developments that will have significant implications for AI tool developers, users of such tools and rights holders, say lawyers at Mishcon de Reya.

  • The Most-Read Law360 UK Guest Articles Of 2023

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    Benefits of the new EU Unified Patent Court, artificial intelligence regulation and M&A trends amid rising inflation were among the hot topics U.K. Expert Analysis articles explored this year.

  • So You Want To Write A Guest Article?

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    If your New Year's resolution is to spend more time writing, here's everything you need to know to pitch guest article ideas to Law360.

  • 9 Takeaways From The UPC's First 6 Months In Session

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    Six months after its opening, the Unified Patent Court has established itself as an appealing jurisdiction, with its far territorial reach, short filing deadlines and extremely quick issuance of preliminary injunctions showing that it is well-prepared to provide for rapid legal clarity, says Antje Brambrink at Finnegan.

  • The Year In FRAND: What To Know Heading Into 2024

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    In 2023, there were eight significant developments concerning the fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory patent licensing regime that undergirds technical standardization, say Tom Millikan and Kevin Zeck at Perkins Coie.

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