Intellectual Property UK

  • October 01, 2025

    Skincare Brand Owner Axes Rival's 'Extrait Ordinary' TM

    The owner of skincare brand The Ordinary has persuaded European Union officials to prevent a perfume company from registering the trademark "Extrait Ordinary," rejecting the notion that consumers pay more attention when shopping for beauty products. 

  • October 01, 2025

    Nokia Sues Paramount In Germany, UPC Over Video Patents

    Nokia said Wednesday that it has sued Paramount at the Unified Patent Court and in Germany, alleging that the company has infringed its patents for video-related technologies.

  • September 30, 2025

    Merck Hits Back At Halozyme In Cancer Drug Patent Row

    Merck has once again asked a London court to nix Halozyme's patents for an under-the-skin drug delivery system because they allegedly solve no technical problem in the field, as it plans to launch its own subcutaneous injectable next month. 

  • September 30, 2025

    Regeneron Sues Biosimilar Maker Over IP Rights Exemption

    Regeneron has sued a biosimilar specialist in a London court, arguing that the rival was infringing on its intellectual property rights because its waiver requests to export a drug treating eye conditions to countries outside the European Union were invalid. 

  • September 30, 2025

    German Law Firm Beats Chinese Rival In 'CNH' TM Row

    German law firm CNH Anwälte has persuaded European trademark officials to block a Chinese firm from registering the trademark "CNH" as the addition of "Anwälte" is not enough for the public to differentiate the two firms. 

  • September 30, 2025

    Recruiter Fights Contract Breach Claims After Joining Rival

    A recruitment consultant has denied allegations from his former employer that he stole trade secrets for a rival headed by his stepmother, arguing that his old bosses still owe him £2,816 ($3,800). 

  • September 30, 2025

    Huawei Sued In UK For Global License Over Wi-Fi Patents

    Network equipment provider TP-Link has accused Huawei of demanding inflated royalties to use its essential Wi-Fi patents, asking a London court to force the Chinese company to accept a license on fair terms.

  • September 30, 2025

    EPO Clarifies Power To Scrap Past Submissions On Appeal

    The European Patent Office's Board of Appeal has ruled that it can throw out facts, evidence and amendments that were filed late but which the Opposition Division has incorrectly admitted into a dispute at an earlier stage.

  • September 29, 2025

    Meta Stole Plan For Instagram Shopping, Antitrust Suit Alleges

    A British company Friday sued Meta Platforms Inc. in California federal court, claiming the tech giant was only able to build Instagram Shopping and create a "Meta monopoly" over the tag-based shopping market by secretly stealing the startup's proprietary business plan and exploiting its social network dominance.

  • September 29, 2025

    Louis Vuitton Defeats Turkish Glass Co.'s Bid To Nix 'LV' Logo

    Luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton has beaten a Turkish glassware company's challenge to its "LV" monogram logo, after European Union trademark officials found no likelihood of confusion.

  • September 29, 2025

    Luxury Car Parts Maker Sues Rival, Claiming Infringement

    A U.K. designer of bespoke car parts has accused a rival of selling bumpers that infringe on its intellectual property rights, arguing that its products have distinctive characteristics achieving a "balance and elegance" that set them apart on the aftermarket.

  • September 29, 2025

    Honest Tea Blocks Moldovan Winery's 'Onest' TM

    U.S. bottled tea company Honest Tea has persuaded European Union officials to block a Moldovan winery's bid for the trademark "Onest," finding that the brands could be misinterpreted when consumers order a drink at a noisy bar or club.

  • September 29, 2025

    Formula One Did Not File Rebranded TM In Bad Faith

    Formula One has defended a European Union trademark over its rebranded logo, proving that it did not act unsportingly by protecting the updated sign shortly after surrendering a similar mark.

  • September 29, 2025

    Chevron Phillips Relinquishes Polymer Patent At EPO

    Chevron Phillips has renounced its European patent for a type of polymer after an appeals panel hinted that it was set to revoke its protections amid a challenge from a band of rivals.

  • September 26, 2025

    Biotech Firm Loses Rights To Bone Growth Patent

    A Kansas medical firm developing therapies to fight osteoporosis has failed to convince European appellate officials that it deserves a patent covering a method of altering bone growth by using specific protein inhibitors. 

  • September 26, 2025

    Lost Mary Vape Maker Axes Rival's 'Super Mary' TM In UK

    The manufacturer of "Lost Mary" vapes has convinced U.K. intellectual property officials to block a competitor's attempt to trademark "Super Mary," after the country's trademark body found that there was a risk customers would confuse the two brands, according to a newly public decision.

  • September 26, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty OneSteel sue its collapsed former lender Greensill Capital, television personality Janice Dickinson hit ITV with a personal injury claim after falling over while appearing on “I’m a Celeb …”, and energy investor Blasket bring fresh litigation against Spain amid a row over a $416 million arbitration award. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • September 26, 2025

    Jägermeister Blocks Distillery's 'Alten Kräuterfrau' TM Bid

    Jägermeister has curbed a rival's quest to revive its "Alten Kräuterfrau" trademark application, convincing European Union officials that the logo would ride on the coat-tails of its renowned gothic branding.

  • September 26, 2025

    Luxury Hat Maker Can't Register 'Typical' Red Brim Design

    European officials have upheld their objections to a luxury hat seller's design for a red-brimmed hat with a gold pin, as the features were merely presentational and shoppers would consider them typical for the fashion accessory. 

  • September 26, 2025

    Surgeon Loses Inventor Claim For Blood Flow Monitor Patent

    British officials have dismissed a surgeon's claims that he invented a wearable sensor that monitors blood flow in patients with a blood vessel malformation, ruling that the evidence brought by the two listed inventors on the patent was more convincing. 

  • September 25, 2025

    Pfizer, BioNTech Challenge GSK Patents Over Vaccine Tech

    Pfizer and BioNTech are suing GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals over a range of its patents linked to key processes in the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, arguing that the substances were not novel when GSK patented them.

  • September 25, 2025

    Telegraph Voids Businessman's 'Hongkong Telegraph' TM

    The company behind The Telegraph has persuaded European Union officials to block a businessman's "Hongkong Telegraph" trademark application, proving that it comes too close to the British newspaper's name.

  • September 25, 2025

    Paris Metro Can't Nix 'Strikingly Different' Italian 'TPlus' TM

    The state body running Paris' public transport has failed to convince European officials that an Italian company's trademark for "TPlus" will encroach on its exclusive rights over "Ticket t+," since the marks left "strikingly different" impressions on travelers. 

  • September 25, 2025

    Man City Star Striker Haaland Wins Challenge To 'Haaland' TM

    Erling Haaland has convinced European officials to nix a trademark application over his surname, after proving that a Polish applicant had just wanted to take advantage of his international reputation to sell watches, sports gear and yogurt.

  • September 25, 2025

    Menswear Chain Moss Bros. Trumps Rival's 'Mosso' TM

    British menswear chain Moss Bros. has convinced European Union officials to ax an Italian company's bid for the trademark "Mosso," finding that some consumers would struggle to tell the brands apart.

Expert Analysis

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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Reexamining Negative Limitations After Novartis Patent Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit's decision and denial of rehearing in Novartis v. Accord has created exacting standards that must be met in order for negative limitations in patent claims to satisfy the written description requirement, but whether the dissent is correct that the majority opinion heightened the standard is an arguable point, say Jonathan Fitzgerald and Jaime Choi at Snell & Wilmer.

  • UK Courts' 3rd-Party Disclosure Rule Sets Global Precedent

    Author Photo

    The quiet change about to take place in the English Civil Procedure Rules, enabling U.K. courts to require pre-action disclosure of information from overseas third parties, is uncharted territory and will have profound implications for any organization that handles assets on behalf of a party, says Simon Bushell at Seladore Legal.

  • Zara TM Ruling Shows Prefiling Clearance Is Always Advisable

    Author Photo

    The recent Trade Mark Tribunal decision regarding Zara and House of Zana demonstrates the importance of conducting prefiling clearance investigations, so that where opposition may be anticipated, a strategy can be put in place, says Melanie Harvey at Birketts.

  • Dutch Merger May Promote Behavioral Remedies Across EU

    Author Photo

    A Dutch tribunal's recent clearing of the Sanoma-Iddink deal might further encourage merging parties in the EU to offer — and government agencies to accept — behavioral remedies, which was rarer when more emphasis was put on divestments, says Robert Hardy at Greenberg Traurig.

  • How Will UK Address AI Patent Infringement?

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence-related patent litigation activity inevitably approaches, a review of U.K. principles of direct and indirect liability offers insight into how courts may address questions involving cloud-based technology and arguments related to training AI models, say Alexander Korenberg at Kilburn & Strode and Toby Bond at Bird & Bird.

  • Law Commission's 'Data Objects' Proposal Is Far-Reaching

    Author Photo

    The Law Commission’s proposals to recognize data objects as a new category of personal property would bring fundamental changes were they to be implemented, and would have significant ramifications for finance litigation, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • UK Rulings Give Chinese Courts Wide Powers In IP Disputes

    Author Photo

    The recent rulings in Nokia v. Oppo and Philips v. Oppo open the door for Chinese courts to adjudicate worldwide rate-setting terms for standard-essential patents, and in so doing present a timely wake-up call as to China's influence, say F. Scott Kieff at George Washington University Law School and Thomas Grant at the University of Cambridge.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Intellectual Property UK archive.