Intellectual Property UK

  • March 02, 2026

    Total Electric Is Told Breach Claims Need More Specificity

    A London judge has ruled that Total Electric must redraft its breach claims against former business partner Nortek if it wants to rely more heavily on a 2017 agreement, after earlier arguments based on a 2010 deal failed.

  • March 02, 2026

    Philips' Computer Chip Patent Invalidated In German Case

    Germany's Federal Patent Court has invalidated Philips' already-expired patent covering a kind of circuitry for computer chips, ruling that the technology was not inventive when the Dutch company filed for protections.

  • March 02, 2026

    BrewDog Sold To US Cannabis Biz Tilray For £33M

    U.S. medical cannabis company Tilray Brands Inc. said Monday that it has bought the brand and intellectual property of Scotland's BrewDog out of administration, in a £33 million ($44 million) deal that will not benefit equity holders in the struggling brewer.

  • March 02, 2026

    Biotech Roquefort To Buy Cancer Drug License For £32M

    Biotechnology company Roquefort confirmed Monday that it has conditionally acquired the license for a "highly promising" experimental cancer treatment drug for an initial consideration of about £31.9 million ($43 million).

  • March 02, 2026

    Use Of Orange Not Enough To Set 'EasyHotel' TM Apart

    European Union officials have refused to let easyGroup register a trademark for "easyHotel," ruling that the color orange is commonly found in hotel decor and therefore is not directly recognizable to the low-cost giant's branding.

  • March 02, 2026

    Shein Fights To Withhold List Of Top Suppliers In Temu Battle

    Shein asked a London appeals court on Monday to give it a chance to overturn an order compelling it to hand over a list of its top suppliers to Temu in a battle over photo copyright and alleged anticompetitive conduct.

  • March 02, 2026

    GSK Unit Loses Appeal Bid For 3D Purple Inhaler TM

    European appellate officials have denied Glaxo Group's application for a 3D-shaped trademark of an inhaler, ruling that shoppers would associate the purple color with its ingredients rather than commercial origin as color use was already widespread. 

  • March 02, 2026

    UK Record Labels Say US Rap Duo $uicideboy$ Infringed IP

    Two British record labels have told a London court that U.S. rap duo $uicideboy$ infringed their copyright by sampling music from movie soundtrack composer Mica Levi without permission.

  • February 27, 2026

    Gowling Wins Access To Docs In Ongoing UPC Pharma Feud

    The Unified Patent Court has allowed law firm Gowling WLG to see pleadings from Boehringer and Zentiva's dispute concerning a fibrosis drug, even though the underlying case is still ongoing.

  • February 27, 2026

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

    This past week in London has seen Linklaters sue a shipping company, high-street clothing giant Urban Outfitters hit with an intellectual property claim, Ithaca Energy sue rival Chrysaor, and cabaret club magnate Alex Proud face legal action with his nightclubs in financial turmoil.

  • February 27, 2026

    BBC, FT Want To Strike Licensing Deals With AI Developers

    The BBC and the Financial Times are among a coalition of major British news brands that have joined forces with the goal of establishing licensing frameworks for artificial intelligence developers to use their content.

  • February 27, 2026

    Trade Laws Not Guide For Regional IP Rights, EU Court Says

    A European Union court has ruled that definitions of goods contained in the bloc's customs regime are not a guide when deciding whether certain items qualify for intellectual property protections over regional produce, in a dispute over Mongolian cashmere.

  • February 27, 2026

    Zaha Hadid Co. Wins Right To End Trademark Deal

    Zaha Hadid's architectural company can terminate a deal to use trademarks signed before her death in 2016, after an appeals court held Friday that the licensing agreement was not intended to "lock the parties together forever."

  • February 26, 2026

    Nokia Submits To UK Court's Role In Paramount Patent Feud

    Nokia said Thursday it has agreed to let a London judge set global terms for a license allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. to use its video coding patents, backing down from its earlier challenge to the U.K. court's jurisdiction.

  • February 26, 2026

    German Court Rejects 'Fridays For Future' TM Application

    The German Federal Patent Court has refused a German company's application to register a trademark for the climate activist slogan "Fridays For Future," holding that the bid for the backdated trademark application was inadmissible.

  • February 26, 2026

    Philips TM For Razor Grip Pattern Slashed At EUIPO

    European officials have rejected Philips' bid to register a collection of dots as a position trademark on its electric shavers and hair clippers, ruling that the spattering of superellipses above the power button wouldn't catch people's eye despite the consumer tech giant's claims.

  • February 26, 2026

    Freshfields Guides Asahi Kasei Unit In €780M Biopharma Deal

    Japanese conglomerate Asahi Kasei Corp. said Thursday it has agreed to buy biopharmaceutical company Aicuris for €780 million ($920 million) cash to fuel the German company's research and development efforts, in a deal steered by Freshfields LLP and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

  • February 26, 2026

    Louis Theroux's Co. Beats 'Alien Autopsy' Copyright Claim

    A court dismissed on Thursday a movie director's claim that Louis Theroux's production company is infringing his copyright in the 1995 "Alien Autopsy" film by producing its upcoming documentary on the origins of the hoax footage.

  • February 26, 2026

    European Patent Court To Open 2nd Panel At Düsseldorf

    The Unified Patent Court will open a second panel in Düsseldorf on Sunday, with the city in northwest Germany joining Munich as the only other city having two panels within the court's local division.

  • February 26, 2026

    Corkscrew Too Ordinary For French Biz To Get Trademark

    A European Union court has poured cold water on a French company's hopes of securing a 3D trademark for a corkscrew, ruling that the design simply reproduces a tool for removing the cork from a bottle.

  • February 25, 2026

    European Patent Court Rejects TCL's Bid To Nix Glass Patent

    Europe's patent court has rejected tech giant TCL's bid to nix a materials manufacturer's method for making glass used in consumer goods, ruling that the tin-fining process was new and wouldn't have been obvious to others at the time. 

  • February 25, 2026

    Royal Family Textile Supplier Sued For Fern Print Theft

    An interior design company has accused one of the British royal family's fabric and wallpaper suppliers of infringing its copyright in a "scrolling fern" design by reproducing the patterns of green botanical waves on rival products. 

  • February 25, 2026

    Laser Maker Gets UPC To Halt Rival's Sales

    A laser business has persuaded the Unified Patent Court to restrict a rival manufacturer's sales in several European countries after proving that the company was infringing its patent.

  • February 25, 2026

    GXD-Bio Appeals Genetic Tester IP Loss Against Myriad

    A South-Korean biotech firm has appealed a ruling in December that revoked its breast cancer test patent and dismissed its infringement claims against Myriad Genetics in Europe's patent court.

  • February 25, 2026

    Microsoft Stops Finnish Tech Biz Reviving UPC Claim

    Appellate judges at the Unified Patent Court have refused to reopen a Finnish tech company's failed patent infringement claim against Microsoft, ruling that the court made no obvious error in throwing out the case.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How Int'l Student-Athlete Law Would Change The NIL Game

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    Recently proposed legislation to allow international student-athletes the opportunity to profit from their name, image and likeness without violating their F-1 nonimmigrant student visa status represents a pivotal step in NIL policy, and universities must assess and adapt their approaches to accommodate unique immigration concerns, say attorneys at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Series

    Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How The PTAB Landscape Shifted In 2023

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    Attorneys at Finnegan consider the impact of noteworthy Patent Trial and Appeal Board developments in 2023, including rulemaking, litigation, precedential decisions and director reviews that affected PTAB practice, and offer a reference for examining future proceedings and strategies.

  • How 'Copyleft' Licenses May Affect Generative AI Output

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    Open-source software and the copyleft licenses that support it, whereby derivative works must be made available for others to use and modify, have been a boon to the development of artificial intelligence, but could lead to issues for coders who use AI to help write code and may find their resulting work exposed, says William Dearn at HLK.

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