Intellectual Property UK

  • March 23, 2026

    Sky Unplugs Tech Co.'s Bid For "Callsky-kids" TM

    Sky has blocked an attempt by a technology company to register the trademark "Callsky-kids" after European officials ruled that consumers are likely to see the name as a new product line by the British media network for children's entertainment.

  • March 23, 2026

    NEC Drops Video Decoder Patent Suit Against Hisense

    Japanese electronics giant NEC has withdrawn its infringement claim at the Unified Patent Court for a video-streaming patent against Chinese appliance maker Hisense.

  • March 23, 2026

    Fresenius Challenges Patents To Launch IBD Drug Biosimilar

    Fresenius has urged a London judge to revoke three patents of its rival Millennium covering a popular treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, arguing that its dosing regimen and ingredients were nothing new as it plans to launch a biosimilar version.

  • March 23, 2026

    Heineken Loses Battle To Block Rival's Drinking Penguin TM

    Heineken has lost its attempt to void a trademark for a penguin drinking from a cocktail glass, failing to convince European Union officials that the public could mix up the sign with its own trademark for a penguin drinking booze.

  • March 20, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen an ex-professional footballer revive a dispute with Charles Russell Speechlys, Virgin Media face a group data protection claim after hundreds of thousands of customers' personal details were exposed online for months, and Mishcon de Reya sued by a real estate private equity firm founded by a former Morgan Stanley executive.

  • March 20, 2026

    Amazon Fire TV Design Trumps IP Bid For Remote Control

    British officials have rejected an entrepreneur's bid to register a design for a remote control, ruling that it shared one too many similarities with Amazon's existing remote for users navigating the e-commerce giant's Fire TV platform.

  • March 20, 2026

    Drugmaker Can't Extend IP Protections For Contraceptive

    A London court has refused to grant a Spanish pharmaceutical business extended patent protections for its contraceptive drug, ruling Friday that a marketing authorization already existed for the drug.

  • March 20, 2026

    Beatles Label Blocks 'TimeBeatle' EU Trademark Bid

    The Beatles' record label has blocked a "TimeBeatle" trademark application in the European Union, proving that the Chinese applicant had no ticket to ride on the coattails of the Fab Four's reputation.

  • March 20, 2026

    Darts Star Littler Seeks TM For Face In Possible Anti-AI Move

    Darts ace Luke Littler has applied to protect his face with a trademark in the U.K., and lawyers suggested on Friday that the move could help block the exploitation of his likeness through artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.

  • March 19, 2026

    Nokia, Warner Bros. Seek To End Video-Coding Patent Suit

    Nokia and Warner Bros. on Thursday agreed to end a legal fight in Delaware federal court after the Hollywood studio earlier this month lost its bid to toss claims that it infringed a set of the Finnish company's video-coding patents.

  • March 19, 2026

    Gov't Creates More Questions With Latest Take On AI And IP

    Tech companies and creatives alike have more doubt than ever about the legal framework for artificial intelligence and copyright, following a much-anticipated report on the topic from the government that kicks pressing issues down the road, experts say.

  • March 19, 2026

    Critical Literary Editions Can Qualify For Copyright Protection

    A European court ruled Thursday that a critical edition containing scholarly notes and commentary on an existing copyrighted work can also qualify for protection under European Union law if it is original and more than just a mere idea. 

  • March 19, 2026

    Loewe Wins Bid To Nix Spanish Rival's 'Aoura' Perfume TM

    A European court sided with Spanish luxury giant Loewe in a trademark dispute and nixed a rival's application for "Aoura," ruling that shoppers might confuse its perfumes with the 180-year-old brand's "Aura Loewe" fragrance line for women. 

  • March 19, 2026

    Counterfeit Velcro Claims May Defame Rival, Judge Says

    A London court ruled Thursday that a packaging products supplier's claims that its rival was selling counterfeit Velcro goods on Amazon were factual statements and capable of being defamatory.

  • March 19, 2026

    Clarks, Trek Breached 25-Year-Old Branding Agreement

    A London court ruled Thursday that British shoemaker Clarks and U.S. bike retailer Trek both breached a 25-year-old brand coexistence agreement relating to the use of their respective "Trek" trademarks.

  • March 19, 2026

    Rolls-Royce Sinks Rival's 'V12X' Boat Engine TM At EU Court

    Rolls-Royce has persuaded a European Union court not to restore a rival's "V12X" trademark for marine engines as it successfully showed that the logo simply describes the 12-cylinder power units that its opponent sells.

  • March 18, 2026

    Zara Flexes Fashion Reputation To Trim Turkish Co.'s TM

    The owner of fashion giant Zara has convinced European officials to narrow a Turkish company's trademark application for "Zarify," after proving that shoppers would likely think the Spanish brand controlled the rival's website selling clothes and shoes. 

  • March 18, 2026

    Hugo Boss Bars 'Bosa' TM For Cosmetics In EU

    Hugo Boss has stopped an individual based in China from securing a "Bosa" trademark covering cosmetic goods in the European Union, proving that the brand would unfairly ride on the coattails of its famous "Boss" branding.

  • March 18, 2026

    Calm App Owner Wins Broader Block To 'Calm Therapy' TM

    The company behind popular meditation app Calm has convinced European officials to trim a cosmetic company's trademark bid for "calm therapy" even further, as other beauty treatments overlapped with the app's mental health services.

  • March 18, 2026

    Aldi Loses Bid To Crush Wine Maker's 'Aldo Bottega' TM

    Aldi has failed to convince European officials to nix a famed prosecco producer's trademark application for "Aldo Bottega," as it failed to prove that it had used its earlier "Aldi" sign to sell wine or other registered tipple over a required five-year period.

  • March 18, 2026

    Laser Maker Gets 2nd UPC Injunction To Ban Rival's Sales

    An industrial laser producer has persuaded the Unified Patent Court to limit a competing company's sales in parts of Europe, winning a second injunction against its rival in a matter of weeks.

  • March 18, 2026

    UK Backs Off Plan To Put Burden On Creatives In AI Scraping

    The government has backed away from its proposal to make creatives opt out of having their work used to train artificial intelligence models, after a backlash from the sector saying that the onus should be on AI companies to license their work.

  • March 17, 2026

    UPC Won't Defer To Top EU Court On Evidence Preservation

    Appellate judges at the Unified Patent Court have refused to ask the European Union's top court to clarify when intellectual property owners can seek up-front measures to preserve "relevant evidence" of possible infringement.

  • March 17, 2026

    PE Firm Can't Get Early Win In £50M Software Biz Buyout Case

    A private equity firm has lost its bid for an early win in its £50 million ($66.7 million) claim that the previous owner of a software business it acquired breached warranties by incorrectly stating that the company had necessary software licenses.

  • March 17, 2026

    Tech Biz Denies Stealing Idea For Ride-Sharing Taxi Software

    A taxi platform has denied a developer's claims that it stole his idea for taxi software, arguing that its tool that optimizes ride-sharing existed seven years before he shared his competing concept with the U.K.'s innovation agency. 

Expert Analysis

  • Businesses Using AI Face Novel Privacy, Cybersecurity Risks

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    Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are resulting in complex privacy and cybersecurity challenges for businesses, and with the forthcoming EU AI Act and enhancement of existing laws to ensure a high common level of security, key stakeholders should be empowered to manage associated risks, say lawyers at Goodwin.

  • Following The Road Map Toward Quantum Security

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    With the Financial Conduct Authority’s recent publication of a white paper on a quantum-secure financial sector, firms should begin to consider the quantum transition early — before the process is driven by regulatory obligations — with the goal of developing a cybersecurity architecture that is agile while also allowing for quantum security, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • AI Is Outpacing IP Law Frameworks

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    In Thaler v. Comptroller-General, the U.K. Supreme Court recently ruled that artificial intelligence can't be an inventor, but the discussion on the relationship between AI and intellectual property law is far from over, and it's clear that technology is developing faster than the legal framework, says Stephen Carter at The Intellectual Property Works.

  • New Reduced EPO Fees May Shift Applicant Demographics

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    The upcoming European Patent Office fee reduction scheme, aimed at helping smaller organizations access the patent system, is a positive step that could help shift the applicant demographic, which has typically been dominated by larger businesses, says Annabel Williams at Marks & Clerk.

  • Mitigating And Managing Risks Of AI Use In Private Equity

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    While generative artificial intelligence has the ability to transform private equity firms and their portfolio companies, its deployment brings inherent risks, including those presented by the forthcoming EU AI Act, requiring appropriate risk management strategies, processes and policies to be adopted, says Barry Fishley at Weil.

  • Aldi Design Infringement Case Highlights Assessment Issues

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    The forthcoming English Court of Appeal decision in Marks and Spencer v. Aldi, regarding the alleged infringement of design rights, could provide practitioners with new guidance, particularly in relation to the relevant date for assessment of infringement and the weight that should be attributed to certain design elements in making this assessment, say Rory Graham and Georgia Davis at RPC.

  • Generative AI Raises IP, Data Protection And Contracts Issues

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    As the EU's recent agreement on the Artificial Intelligence Act has fueled businesses' interest in adopting generative AI tools, it is crucial to understand how these tools utilize material to generate output and what questions to ask in relation to intellectual property, data privacy and contracts, say lawyers at Deloitte Legal.

  • Vodafone Decision Highlights Wide Scope Of UK's FDI Rules

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    The U.K. government’s recently imposed conditions required for its approval of Vodafone and Etisalat’s strategic relationship agreement under its National Security and Investment Act jurisdiction, illustrating the significance of the act as an important factor for transactions with a U.K. link, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • What The EU AI Act Could Mean For Patent Law

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    As the EU Artificial Intelligence Act has now been endorsed by all member states, companies and patent owners with interests in the bloc may want to prepare for when the act enters into force, including by considering potential subject matter exclusions, says Terence Broderick at Murgitroyd.

  • Considering A Practical FRAND Rate Assessment Procedure

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    As the debate over a fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory rate continues inside and outside courtrooms, a practical method may assess whether the proposed FRAND rate deviates significantly from what is reasonable, and ensure an optimal mix of assets for managers of standard-essential patent portfolios, says consultant Gordon Huang.

  • How AI Inventorship Is Evolving In The UK, EU And US

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    While the U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision in Thaler v. Comptroller-General is the latest in a series of decisions by U.K., U.S. and EU authorities that artificial intelligence systems cannot be named as inventors in patents, the guidance from these jurisdictions suggests that patents may be granted to human inventors that use AI as a sophisticated tool, say lawyers at Mayer Brown.

  • Cos. Should Plan Now For Extensive EU Data Act Obligations

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    The recently enacted EU Data Act imposes wide-ranging requirements across industries and enterprises of all sizes, and with less than 20 months until the provisions begin to apply, businesses planning compliance will need to incorporate significant product changes and revision of contract terms, say Nick Banasevic, Robert Spano and Ciara O'Gara at Gibson Dunn. 

  • 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.

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