Intellectual Property UK

  • December 02, 2025

    SEP Owner Wins OK To Forge Ahead With Vivo FRAND Claim

    Sun Patent Trust has asked the Unified Patent Court to determine a FRAND rate for its wireless device patents in a claim with Chinese smartphone company Vivo, according to a newly public order from the appeals court.

  • December 02, 2025

    Camper Footwear Brand Wins TM Battle At EUIPO

    Spanish shoe retailer Camper has persuaded European Union officials to block a Chinese company's "NuCamper" trademark application, proving that shoppers could muddle up the two brands.

  • December 02, 2025

    Disney Beats Designer's Bid For 'Mickey Is Free!' TM

    A Norwegian designer has failed to convince European officials that he should be able to sell streetwear stamped with the trademark "Mickey is Free!" — even with a disclaimer saying it had "nada, niente" to do with the Disney character. 

  • December 02, 2025

    US Musicians And Actors Say UK Breached Royalties Treaties

    Trade unions representing U.S. actors and musicians urged a London court Tuesday to reverse secondary legislation that altered U.K. copyright law, saying it had unlawfully breached international treaties governing royalty payments for audio recordings.

  • December 02, 2025

    Gola Trainers Owner Sues Clarks Over Stripe Design

    The owner of the classic Gola trainer has accused Clarks of selling shoes that copy a specific protected stripe logo on its side, which it said was confusing shoppers and leading them to buy the rival footwear. 

  • December 01, 2025

    HP Gets Early Ink Cartridge Injunction At UPC

    American computer giant HP has convinced the Unified Patent Court to bar a Chinese rival from selling ink cartridges that infringe its patents, marking the latest preliminary injunction involving those patents that the court has handed down.

  • December 01, 2025

    Record Label Sues Partner Over £4M Royalty Dispute

    A specialist record label has accused two music promotion companies of failing to pay almost £4 million ($5 million) in license fees and other royalties, asking a London judge to stop the former business partners from further infringing its IP. 

  • December 01, 2025

    Takeda Defends UK Patent Protection For ADHD Drug Elvanse

    Takeda has swung back after a German rival asked a London court to call time on its extended patent protections for the ADHD treatment Elvanse, arguing that its U.K. supplementary protection certificate covering the drug is valid.

  • December 01, 2025

    EU Launches IP Protections For Regional Crafts

    The European Union launched a dedicated system on Monday to protect the names of craft and industrial products whose characteristics can be attributed to their geographic origin, in a longstanding effort to boost intellectual property protections for regionally produced artisanal products. 

  • December 01, 2025

    EU Blocks 'European Basketball League' TM

    A U.S. company has failed to net a "European Basketball League" trademark in the European Union, giving up on its challenge against an earlier ruling that the sign lacks any distinctive character.

  • November 28, 2025

    Regeneron Claims Biocon Drug Mimics Its Patented Medicine

    Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has countersued Biocon to block it from infringing on its patents upholding its medication to treat macular degeneration, denying that the Indian pharmaceutical group's formulation would not infringe on its intellectual property in the U.K.

  • November 28, 2025

    Building Cladding Co. Hits Back At Bid To Nix Fire Safety IP 

    A building facade supplier has asserted that a cladding specialist is infringing its patent and design rights, pointing out that the rival's director had toured its factory years ago and received a demonstration of the products he later copied. 

  • November 28, 2025

    Loft Supplies Co. Takes Aim At Rival's UK Patents

    A loft supplies company has denied infringing a rival's flooring system patents, telling a London court that the U.K. registrations are not valid because they contain nothing inventive.

  • November 28, 2025

    Financial Analysts' Body Suffers Blow In Fight Over 'CEFA' TM

    The European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies has lost its bid to register a trademark for "CEFA EFFAS Certified European Financial Analyst" as a European court ruled that examiners had correctly found it was too similar to an existing sign. 

  • November 28, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen the National Crime Agency target an Azerbaijan politician and a subsidiary of Withers over a disputed £50 million ($66 million) property portfolio, the eldest son of a British aristocratic family challenge the trustees of their multimillion-pound estate, and a sports lawyer suspected of dishonesty face action by the Solicitors Regulation Authority following his firm's closure.

  • November 28, 2025

    French Clothing Biz Wins 'Sol' TM Battle At UKIPO

    A French clothing company has persuaded U.K. officials to block a British opponent's "Sol Sleep" and "Sol Beach" trademark applications, proving that shoppers could mix up the brand with its earlier "SOL'S" registration.

  • November 27, 2025

    Merz Loses Bid To Block Viatris In Unified Patent Court

    Merz has failed to persuade the Unified Patent Court to order a preliminary injunction barring rival Viatris Santé from infringing its supplementary patent protections for its multiple sclerosis treatment, marking the first time the court has considered an injunction application for supplementary protections.

  • November 27, 2025

    Gorgon Music Hits Back Over Bunny Lee Reggae Catalog

    Gorgon Music has asserted that two subsidiaries of German media giant BMG failed to promote the music of dead reggae producer Bunny "Striker" Lee and therefore breached their licensing deals, meaning they were no longer enforceable. 

  • November 27, 2025

    Nuclear Energy Biz Can't Use 'Smartfuel' TM In EU

    A nuclear energy company has lost its attempt to secure a "Smartfuel" trademark in the European Union, failing to prove that the sign isn't descriptive of all the goods it would appear on.

  • November 27, 2025

    Amgen Wins UPC Appeal To Revive Cholesterol Drug Patent

    Amgen has persuaded an appeals panel at the Unified Patent Court to restore its patent for cholesterol-lowering drug Repatha, overturning a previous victory for rival drugmakers Sanofi and Regeneron.

  • November 27, 2025

    US Designer Sues Furniture Village Over 'Alaska' Line Theft

    A furniture designer has accused a manufacturer of commissioning a series of designs and then stealing them, arguing that significant features of its protected "Alaska" concept range could be seen in the U.K. company's products. 

  • November 27, 2025

    AbbVie Unit Fails To Revive Dermal Filler Patent On Appeal

    A European appeals panel has rejected an AbbVie subsidiary's quest to restore a dermal filler patent following a challenge from a German rival, saying that the contents of the blueprint are unnecessarily broad.

  • November 26, 2025

    Judges Spare Edwards Heart Valve Protections In UPC Appeal

    Edwards Lifesciences has convinced judges at the Unified Patent Court's appeals body to spare amended patent protections underpinning its heart valve technology, in a judgment that sees judges clarify the European patent court's approach to analyzing whether a patent is inventive.

  • November 26, 2025

    Boots Denies Copying Travel Products Co.'s Pillow Design

    Boots has pushed back against claims that it is infringing a design for a travel pillow, arguing that any elements it was accused of poaching were actually common design features used by all to ensure that the product functions.

  • November 26, 2025

    Prada's Miu Miu Beats Beauty Co.'s 'Fiu Fiu' TM

    Prada has succeeded in blocking a Polish beauty company's attempt to register the name "Fiu Fiu Beauty Concept" as a European trademark, after officials ruled the branding was too close to the luxury fashion group's "Miu Miu" label.

Expert Analysis

  • Coordinating Patent Strategies Across PTAB And EPO

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    The positions, arguments and prior art raised in U.S. post-grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board may influence European Patent Office oppositions involving counterpart cases. Understanding the procedural similarities and differences between the two jurisdictions is key, says Drew Schulte of Haley Guiliano LLP.

  • New EU Patent Guidelines May Affect Companies' AI Strategy

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    As compared to the European Patent Office’s guidelines for artificial intelligence and machine learning — which take effect on Thursday — the U.S. eligibility framework may prove to be more favorable to innovators, say Jennifer Maisel and Eric Blatt of Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck PC​​​​​​​.

  • Intellectual Property Caught In US-China Trade Crossfire

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    Earlier this year, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products as a response to China’s trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation. The U.S.-Chinese trade war highlights the need to approach investments in China differently, taking a broad view of intellectual assets and looking beyond basic legal protection, says Holly White, a consultant at Rouse & Co.

  • Patent Eligibility Assessments: US Approach Vs. UK Approach

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    Techniques used to address questions of obviousness in the U.K. may prove useful to practitioners addressing questions of patent eligibility in the U.S., say Christopher Carroll and Charles Larsen of White & Case LLP.

  • Surveying The CRISPR Patent War

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    Following this week’s oral argument at the Federal Circuit in University of California v. Broad Institute, there has been a surge of interest in the long-running CRISPR patent dispute. There are battles raging on multiple fronts, particularly in Europe, with several more on deck in the U.S., and maybe even in China, says Michael Stramiello of Paul Hastings LLP.

  • UK Patent Ruling Sharpens Contrast With US Practice

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    The U.K. Court of Appeal's decision last month in Regeneron v. Kymab is significant because it aligns the U.K.’s approach to the assessment of insufficiency with that of the European Patent Office. It also highlights, for U.S. companies, the stricter standard to which patent specifications are subject in Europe, say Edward Kelly and Regina Sam Penti of Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • IP Considerations For UK Open Banking App Developers

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    Since January of this year, consumer-facing banks in the U.K. have been required to make customers' banking data available to authorized third parties in a standardized format. As competition between open banking app developers increases, intellectual property rights will become a key legal tool, say Rajvinder Jagdev and Peter Damerell of Powell Gilbert LLP.

  • The Case For Early Mediation Or Arbitration In IP Disputes

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    Alternative dispute resolution is one of the best ways to resolve disputes involving patents, copyright, trademark, trade secrets and other intellectual property issues. While not every situation lends itself to ADR, it is more accessible than many parties assume, says Jerry Cohen of Burns & Levinson LLP.

  • International Arbitration In 2018: A Year Of Rule Revisions

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    Though still in its relative infancy, 2018 is shaping up to be a year of arbitral institution rule updates. Neil Newing and Ryan Cable of Signature Litigation LLP explore some of the more innovative and trending rule changes expected or predicted this year.

  • A Look At Chemical Supplemental Examination Requests

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    If used strategically, supplemental examination at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can provide a powerful tool for chemical patent owners to add to their armamentarium of options for Orange Book-listed patents when conducting a due diligence analysis of their patent estate prior to Orange Book listing, say attorneys with Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP.

  • Cloud-Based Patent Claims — And How Providers Can Help

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    Cloud customers may be exposed to liability for open source technologies that are buried deep within their providers’ offerings. In-house legal teams and developers need to be aware of the risk of patent litigation and the extent to which cloud providers can help mitigate these risks, says R. Paul Zeineddin of Zeineddin PLLC.

  • Comparing EU And US Standard-Essential Patent Guidance

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    The European Commission's long-awaited guidance on litigating and licensing standard-essential patents clarifies what conduct may insulate an SEP owner from abuse claims under competition law, in sharp contrast to the U.S., where the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice have declined to adopt any views on the subject, say Edward Kelly and Regina Sam Penti of Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • Strategic Considerations In Selecting Emergency Arbitration

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    In recent years, all of the major arbitral institutions have introduced an emergency arbitration procedure, yet studies suggest that parties rarely avail themselves of emergency arbitration and instead turn to local courts in times of crisis. Attorneys with Kirkland & Ellis LLP explore several considerations when determining where to pursue emergency relief.

  • Strategies For Protecting Biotechnology In Brazil And China

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    Brazil and China have taken important steps to become significant contributors to the future success of the bioeconomy. Understanding options for quickly procuring and challenging patents in Brazil and China can be key for companies looking to expand their bioeconomy investments outside the U.S. and Europe, say attorneys with Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox PLLC.

  • How The FTC Has Erred On Innovation Policy Issues

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    Maureen Ohlhausen, the acting chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, recently delivered a sobering attack on the agency, noting that it and other antitrust agencies have “lost sight of core antitrust principles.” From such a highly competent federal official who is also a recognized legal scholar, this critique deserves our full attention, says David Teece, chairman of Berkeley Research Group LLC.

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