Intellectual Property UK

  • July 21, 2025

    New AI Audit Standard Aims To Tame 'Wild West' Market

    The British Standards Institution on Monday unveiled what it called the world's first standard for companies independently auditing artificial intelligence systems amid concern over a potential "wild west" of unchecked providers.

  • July 21, 2025

    Oracle Sues Data Center Firm For Infringing 'Sun' Trademark

    Oracle International Corporation and the U.S. arm of the software business have sued a hardware maintenance company, accusing it of selling products bearing its trademarks in the U.K. without authorization.

  • July 21, 2025

    Kone Corp. Shuts Door On Elevator Data Patent

    Finnish engineering giant Kone Corp. has lost a battle over its European patent for elevator door maintenance technology, after withdrawing its own support for the protection during appeal.

  • July 21, 2025

    A1 Group Axes Padel Tournament Co.'s 'A1 Padel' TM

    European officials have upheld A1 Telekom Austria's bid to block a padel sports tournament company's trademark for "A1 Padel," ruling that consumers might mistake the racket sport as a new sub-brand of the network operator.

  • July 21, 2025

    Siemens Loses Bid To Patent Safer Power System

    European officials have rejected Siemens' bid to patent an electrical power conversion system because scientists at the time would have known that using special resistors to reduce voltage would make the system safer.

  • July 18, 2025

    Top UK Court To Weigh Patent Protections For AI In Key Case

    The U.K.'s highest court will hear arguments Monday on whether an artificial intelligence company's invention is eligible for a patent, in a case that intellectual property lawyers say will test the boundaries of current IP law against the boom of AI technology.

  • July 18, 2025

    Tupperware Closes The Lid On 'Betterware' TM

    The company behind the food container company Tupperware has succeeded in its challenge to a Polish company's "betterware" trademark for cleaning products and kitchen containers, after trademark officials found the mark would take advantage of the American kitchenware giant's reputation.

  • July 18, 2025

    Notting Hill Shopping Tote Designer Loses TM Dispute

    A London judge ruled Friday that the designer of the "Notting Hill Shopping Bag" tote couldn't claim infringement against a rival in the famous London neighborhood because the trademark had expired.

  • July 18, 2025

    Chevron, Dow Nix Rival's Thermoplastic Patent

    Chevron and Dow Chemical Co. have convinced European officials to nix a LyondellBasell patent for a type of versatile thermoplastic because the idea of pre-mixing certain ingredients to improve the product was obvious.

  • July 18, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen the former owner of British oil refinery Prax Group sued following the collapse of his business empire, a unit of Shard Credit Partners target a married couple believed to have inflated the value of their companies before selling them, and Aerofoil Energy reignite patent action against AFE Group over the design of its F1-inspired cooling units.

  • July 17, 2025

    Patent Reform May Put Smaller Businesses Into FRAND Rows

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office's proposed reform to the country's standard-essential patent framework could encourage both patent owners and small businesses to take licensing disputes to court, lawyers say.

  • July 17, 2025

    10x Genomics Ends UPC Patent Fight With Bruker

    Biotech firm 10x Genomics and scientific instrument maker Bruker Corp. have dropped their infringement dispute over gene-analyzing technology in Europe's patent court after reaching a settlement.

  • July 17, 2025

    UPC Caseload Nears 1,000 As IP Actions Surge In Germany

    The Unified Patent Court has received nearly 1,000 cases since launching just over two years ago, with Germany emerging as the dominant battleground for infringement litigation, according to newly published statistics.

  • July 17, 2025

    Retailer Says Rival Can't Sue Over Amazon Listing Dispute

    A homewares retailer has argued that a baby-clothes maker can't sue it for reputational damage over its infringement report that led Amazon to remove a listing for a children's bike, as it had agreed to withdraw the design registration that supported the claim. 

  • July 17, 2025

    Shopify Can't Stop Rival Getting 'Shopee' TM In EU

    E-commerce giant Shopify has lost its second attempt at halting a Singaporean competitor's quest for a "Shopee" trademark in the European Union, failing to prove that there is a risk of confusion with its own branding.

  • July 16, 2025

    AstraZeneca Loses Bid To Revive Patent For Diabetes Drug

    The Court of Appeal refused Wednesday to revive AstraZeneca's intellectual property protections for its billion-dollar diabetes drug, opening the way for generic competition to hit the market.

  • July 16, 2025

    American Bar Association Beats Software Co.'s 'Aba' TM

    Abacus Research AG has lost its challenge to an earlier decision rejecting the Swiss software company's "Aba" trademark, after a European court on Wednesday upheld the finding that the sign's similarities to the American Bar Association's might lead to confusion.

  • July 16, 2025

    Haribo's Limbless Gummy Bear TM Loses Out In EU Court

    Haribo lost its bid to overturn a decision by European trademark officials refusing trademark protection for the stylized outline of a gummy bear, when a court concluded the design was excessively simple on Wednesday.

  • July 16, 2025

    Samsung Loses Appeal For Video-Coding Patent At EPO

    A European appeals panel has refused Samsung's latest attempt to secure a patent over its video technology, ruling in a decision published Wednesday that the company unlawfully broadened its blueprint beyond the initial filing.

  • July 16, 2025

    Iceland Foods Loses EU TM Fight Over Link To Nation's Name

    A European Union court on Wednesday upheld a decision to void two of Iceland Foods' trademarks, ruling that the retail chain's branding suggests that its goods originate from the Nordic nation of the same name.

  • July 16, 2025

    Hugo Boss Partially Trims Tech Co.'s 'TryBoss' Trademark

    European officials have partially upheld Hugo Boss' bid to nix a Chinese company's trademark for "TryBoss," saying shoppers might think that the Chinese motorcycles were part of a new line of products from the German brand. 

  • July 15, 2025

    UK Gov't Floats Specialist SEP Litigation Track To Cut Costs

    The government launched a consultation on Tuesday on reforms to the framework for standard essential patents, floating a new specialist track in the High Court to provide consistent licensing rates for key technologies at a lower cost.

  • July 15, 2025

    British Distiller Can't Register 'Co-Lab' Trademark

    British officials have rejected a liquor seller's bid to register "co-lab" as a trademark because shoppers would see it as a reference to brand collaborations rather than as an indication of the product's origin.

  • July 15, 2025

    Slipper Maker Loses Copyright Claim Over Rival Footwear

    A slipper company has failed to obtain an injunction stopping a rival from selling similar-looking fuzzy household slippers, after a Netherlands court found there wasn't enough evidence to show there was copyright infringement and "slavish imitation."

  • July 15, 2025

    John Lewis Loses TM Battle Against Fashion Magazine

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office has tossed retail giant John Lewis' challenge to two "Lewis" trademarks filed by the editor-in-chief of fashion publication Lewis Magazine.

Expert Analysis

  • Examining The New UK Service Guidance For TM Proceedings

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    A new much-anticipated U.K. Intellectual Property Office practice notice affects situations where there is no valid U.K. address for service of documents in trademark and registered design proceedings, and will mean rights holders are on notice at an earlier stage of proceedings, with limited time in which to respond, says Nina O'Sullivan at Mishcon de Reya.

  • A Look At M&S' Registered Design Claim Win Against Aldi

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    Adding to the long line of cases seeking to restrain Aldi's attempts to mimic market-leading products, Marks & Spencer's recent success in the U.K. High Court based on registered designs demonstrates that supermarket copycat products may no longer be able to sail so close to the wind, says Alex Borthwick at Powell Gilbert.

  • UK Teva Ruling Brings Patent Remedy Into Question

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    Arrow declarations have been considered an extremely effective tool for patent litigators, but following the recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in Teva v. Novartis it appears that courts are looking to take a more conservative view, say David Holt and Tony Proctor at Potter Clarkson.

  • How CJEU Case Shifts TM Liability For Platforms Like Amazon

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    The EU Court of Justice's recent ruling on Amazon's liability for trademark infringement in relation to fake Christian Louboutin shoes advertised by third parties on its website may leave web platforms that sell third-party vendors' products alongside their own brands more vulnerable to infringement claims, say Louisa Chambers and Helen Reddish at Travers Smith.

  • Europe's New Unitary Patent System Will Affect IP Agreements

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    Marco Stief at Maiwald discusses key points in intellectual property agreements that legal practitioners will need to consider in Europe's soon-to-open centralized patent court, including regional exclusivity in different contracting member states.

  • EU Medicine Reboxing Ruling Gives Guidance To Pharma Cos.

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    The recent landmark decision of the Court of Justice of the EU in Novartis Pharma on repackaging medicines has provided pharma companies with a much-needed framework, with better protections for trademarks and clearer protocols for handling imported products, say Ulf Grundmann and Elisabeth Kohoutek at King & Spalding.

  • A Look Ahead At Key UK Intellectual Property Cases

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    Anticipated 2023 U.K. intellectual property decisions include robotics, artificial intelligence, and clean energy matters that have also been heard in the U.S., while other areas to watch include global fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory issues, as well as COVID-19 patent litigation, say Tom Oliver and Claire Robinson at Powell Gilbert.

  • Lessons That May Be Learned From The Demise Of Made.com

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    With Made.com going into administration, companies that may face similar challenges should take on board that the earlier adequate preemptive planning is considered, the more financial and legal options there will be to avoid last minute firefighting and to focus instead on strengthening the business, says Eleni Michaela at Faegre Drinker.

  • Teva Case Aims Europe's Pharma Crackdown At IP Loophole

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    The European Commission's recent allegations against Teva signal not only the EU competition watchdog's continued focus on intellectual property violations in the pharmaceutical sector but also its new enforcement interest in exclusionary disparagement, say Robert Bell and Malgorzata Janiec at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Determining Whether To Opt Out Of New Unified Patent Court

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    The new United Patent Court, made up of judges from all European Union member states, will cover the new unitary patent and European patents unless the owner chooses to opt out during the transition period, so patent proprietors must consider whether to opt out for each patent family, say Steffen Steininger and Anna-Katharina Friese-Okoro at Hogan Lovells.

  • 10 Things To Know About The Coming EU Unified Patent Court

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    When the Unified Patent Court opens next year, it will represent a paradigm shift for adversarial patent proceedings in Europe, and practitioners should familiarize themselves now with this new, centralized litigation system, say Fabian Koenigbauer at Ice Miller and Thomas Kronberger at Grünecker.

  • 7 Key Takeaways For Litigating Willful Patent Infringement

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    Brian Nolan and Manuel Velez at Mayer Brown explore the impact of the Federal Circuit's 2021 SRI International v. Cisco Systems decision, and six other areas recent parties have focused on when litigating willful infringement in the latest case law.

  • Trademark Ruling Brings Clarity To Product Defect Liability

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    The recent Court of Justice of the EU ruling in Fennia v. Philips, its first concerning the trademark aspect of producer liability in Article 3(1) of Directive 85/374, brings greater clarity to the question of compensation in the event of a claim for defective products, say Radboud Ribbert and Thomas van Weeren at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Appointments Shape EU Unified Patent Court Before Launch

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    A series of judiciary appointments at the EU Unified Patent Court help put the court on track for its April opening, while also reflecting a patent-friendly enforcement system, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • 5 Considerations In Preparing For EU's New Patent System

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    With the upcoming implementation of the unitary patent and Unified Patent Court, Europe gets closer to its long-term goal of one EU patent that can be enforced in one court, and non-EU patent owners and applicants will have strategic decisions to make, say Fabian Koenigbauer at Ice Miller and Thomas Kronberger at Grünecker.

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