Intellectual Property UK

  • October 07, 2025

    L'Oréal Wins EU Battle Over 'Nakeos' TM For Cosmetics

    French cosmetics giant L'Oréal has persuaded European Union officials to toss a Chinese entrepreneur's bid for the trademark "Nakeos," because the name is too similar to its own Naked range. 

  • October 07, 2025

    Sisvel Unit Can't Dial Up Mobile Network Patent Protection

    A European appeals panel has refused to restore the original version of the mobile communications network patent belonging to a subsidiary of Sisvel, upholding an earlier decision to trim its protections.

  • October 06, 2025

    SAP Expands Celonis Fight With Delaware Patent Suit

    German software firm SAP SE has filed a suit in Delaware federal court against Celonis SE that alleges infringement of patents related to business management software, expanding a legal battle between the two already going on in other litigation in the U.S. and Europe.

  • October 06, 2025

    Nestlé Baby Formula Patent Chucked On Appeal

    Nestlé lost its bid to patent a baby formula after European appellate officials found no evidence to back up its claims that infants would have a reduced risk of obesity and diabetes from drinking it.

  • October 06, 2025

    Qualcomm Accused Of Driving Up Phone Prices At £480M Trial

    British consumer group Which told a London tribunal that Qualcomm drove up Apple and Samsung phone prices by threatening to cut component supply in patent license negotiations, kicking off the trial of its £480 million ($655 million) case on Monday.

  • October 06, 2025

    Jaguar Land Rover Nixes 'Land Carrier' TM For Non-Use

    Jaguar Land Rover has persuaded British trademark officials to overturn an entrepreneur's rights to the trademark "Land Carrier" for a van design on the grounds that it has not been used.

  • October 06, 2025

    Virgin Wins $30M Royalty Dispute Against Alaska Airlines

    A London court has ruled that Alaska Airlines Inc. must pay Virgin group more than $30 million in missed minimum royalties under a trademark licensing deal, rejecting the American carrier's argument that it had no obligation to pay.

  • October 06, 2025

    Hugo Boss Wins Fight Against 'Bossy Cosmetics' TM

    Hugo Boss has persuaded European officials to nix a makeup brand's trademark for "Bossy Cosmetics," after showing that shoppers might think the rival products were related to its Boss-branded perfumes. 

  • October 06, 2025

    L'Oréal Can't Block Chemical Co.'s Hair Dyeing Patent

    L'Oréal has failed to block a chemical company's patent for a hair-dyeing treatment as European officials ruled it was not obvious to others in the field that it used three separate components and mixed them before application to achieve a more consistent color.

  • October 03, 2025

    Execs Not Liable For Infringement Based On Job, UPC Rules

    An appeals panel at the Unified Patent Court held Friday that managing directors cannot be liable for a company's patent infringement based only on their "mere position" within the organization, rejecting Philips' bid to hold Belkin executives responsible in a dispute over power technology.

  • October 03, 2025

    Fossil's Skagen Watches Beats 'Sägen' TM For Eco Jewelry

    A Swedish jewelry maker has lost its bid to register a trademark over its company name Sägen, after European officials held that shoppers might be misled into thinking it was related to the Fossil Group's Skagen watch brand.

  • October 03, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen billionaire Michael Platt sue his former tax lawyer, five former Deutsche Bank staffers file claims against the German bank and an Italian financier issue a commercial fraud claim against the Vatican and UBS.

  • October 03, 2025

    Science Minister Urges Pension Funds To Back Tech Startups

    The U.K. government has urged the country's £3.2 trillion ($4.3 trillion) pensions industry to offer financial backing to a new generation of British technology startups.

  • October 03, 2025

    Dutch Court Drops Crane Co.'s Patent Infringement Case

    A transport equipment maker for wind turbines has failed to persuade a Dutch court that it should be able to inspect old evidence in its efforts to verify whether a rival is infringing a patent over the base of a crane used to maintain special turbines. 

  • October 02, 2025

    Tech Retailer Wins UPC Appeal To Switch Off LED Injunction

    An appeals panel at the Unified Patent Court on Thursday invalidated a patent for a light-emitting diode chip belonging to a subsidiary of Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd., overturning an injunction it had won against a technology retailer.

  • October 02, 2025

    Crop Biz Nichino Europe Trumps Rival's 'Interagros' TM

    Crop protection company Nichino Europe has succeeded in its challenge to a rival's "Interagros" trademark after European Union officials dismissed an appeal as the company failed to file its arguments on time.

  • October 02, 2025

    EPO Opens Door For Lawyers To Join Patent Associations

    Legal practitioners can now freely form and join associations before representing clients in cases before the European Patent Office, finally placing them on equal footing with other professional representatives as the office works towards its 2028 strategic plans. 

  • October 02, 2025

    Neurim Loses European Patent For Insomnia Drug

    A European appeals panel has refused to rekindle Neurim's insomnia drug patent, ruling in a decision released Thursday that officials did not misstep by making passing comments on the patent's validity without hearing the Israeli company's opinion.

  • October 02, 2025

    Siemens Unit Loses Appeal For 'Teamplay' TM

    A subsidiary of Siemens has failed to persuade a European court that it should be allowed to register a trademark for "Teamplay" over specific types of computer software because it still overlapped with the earlier rights of a Czech company. 

  • October 02, 2025

    Director Denies Exploiting Father-In-Law's Business Name

    The director of a procurement business has denied that his company is passing off its services as if they came from his father-in-law's supply and distribution company, adding that any goodwill associated with the name of his company was generated by his work alone.

  • October 02, 2025

    'Payday' Video Game-Maker Voids Canadian Rival's EU TM Bid

    A Swedish video game company has persuaded European Union officials to block a rival's trademark application for "Super Hit Baseball: Payday," as it proved that there is a risk of confusion with its "Payday" video game franchise.

  • October 01, 2025

    Nestlé Can't Block Dutch Coffee Brand's Patent

    Nestlé has failed to convince European officials to nix a Dutch coffee brand's patent for a drink preparation machine and a specially-designed capsule, as the invention's use of aluminum materials and deformation process were new.

  • October 01, 2025

    Dr. Oetker Beats Rival's 'Poof!' TM Challenge At EU Court

    The Romanian arm of Dr. Oetker persuaded a European Union court on Wednesday to reject a Turkish rival's latest attempt to crumble its "Poof! … and done" trademark protections.

  • October 01, 2025

    Taylor Wessing Taps London Veteran To Drive IP Expansion

    Taylor Wessing LLP has appointed a longtime partner based in its London office to take on a newly-established role as the law firm's head of intellectual property in the U.K., Ireland and Middle East.

  • October 01, 2025

    Bed Co. Blocks Retailer's 'HiDream' TM In UK

    Bed retailer Dreams has blocked an attempt by an e-commerce company to register the trademark "HiDream" for pet beds, convincing U.K. officials that consumers were likely to confuse the brands.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Reexamining Negative Limitations After Novartis Patent Ruling

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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?

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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