Intellectual Property UK

  • August 10, 2026

    Financial Advisory Biz Says Founder's Son Ripped Off Brand

    A financial advisory group has accused its founder's son of taking the company's old name and starting a rival business under an "identical" brand, asking a London court to block him from using the name any further.

  • August 10, 2026

    'Bring Them Home Now' TM Fails Over Moral Concerns

    An Israeli nonprofit has failed to win a trademark for the slogan "Bring Them Home Now," calling for the return of hostages abducted in October 2023, as European officials ruled that the commercial bid was "contrary to accepted principles of morality."

  • August 07, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen Cleary Gottlieb sue a former client it advised on the proposed sale of a holding company and the continuation of litigation between pharma giants Merck Sharp & Dohme and Merck KGaA over rights to the Merck name in the U.K.

  • August 07, 2026

    Yoga Rival Says Liforme Mat Design Is Purely Functional

    A yoga equipment retailer has denied infringing a rival's intellectual property rights over its mats, telling a London court that its opponent's design protections are invalid because the mat's technical functions dictate its appearance.

  • August 07, 2026

    Apple Beats Solar Energy Company's 'APstore' TM In The EU

    Apple has convinced European officials to deny a Chinese company's trademark application for "APstore," given shoppers' strong awareness of the tech giant's AppStore platform. 

  • August 07, 2026

    K-Way Outdoor Clothing Co. Narrows 'Kwai' TM In Ad Dispute

    Outdoor clothing brand K-Way has convinced European officials to nix a Chinese company's trademark application for "Kwai" over advertising services, as shoppers accustomed to seeing marketing material from K-Way could mix them up.

  • August 07, 2026

    Auto Parts Maker Voids Rival's Engine Bearing Patent 

    A European appeals panel has revoked a Japanese manufacturer's patent for a sliding bearing component used in engines, ruling that earlier designs cited by a German parts maker already disclosed a number of its important features. 

  • August 06, 2026

    Xiaomi, Nera Settle UPC Patent Spat

    Technology company Nera has asked the Unified Patent Court to withdraw its bid to revive its patent infringement claim against Xiaomi, after the two companies settled out of court.

  • August 06, 2026

    Taiwanese Electronics Giant Blocks 'Deltia' TM

    Taiwanese tech giant Delta Electronics has convinced European officials to partially nix a German software company's trademark application for "Deltia," as customers would be likely to think it was linked to its "Delta" brand of AC and DC power systems.

  • August 06, 2026

    Air Freshener Biz Hangs On To 'Little Trees' TM In EU

    The company that owns the "Little Trees" brand of car air fresheners has defended its trademark in the European Union following a challenge from a German cosmetics business.

  • August 06, 2026

    Spanish Bank Loses Fight Over Finance Firm's 'Arkin' TM

    Spanish lender Arquia Bank has failed to block a French insurance broker's bid to register the trademark "Arkin" after European officials found Spanish consumers were unlikely to confuse the marks.

  • August 06, 2026

    Tech Biz Denies Copying Software To Win Phone Deal

    A software developer has denied unlawfully accessing a rival's database to steal a supply contract with a Three Mobile unit, telling a London court that it independently built a replacement data management tool at the telecom company's request.

  • August 06, 2026

    Estonian Translation Denies Tennis Co. 'Head' TM In EU

    The European Union has told tennis apparel retailer Head that its trademark application is out of bounds, ruling that Estonian-speaking consumers in the bloc would understand "Head" as meaning "good."

  • August 05, 2026

    BAT Nixes Japanese Rival's Patent For User-Friendly Vape

    British American Tobacco has convinced European officials to revoke a Japan Tobacco Group unit's patent for a vape, as a prior application already revealed the idea of having a cartridge showing users how much tobacco liquid was remaining without awkwardly bulking up the pen.

  • August 05, 2026

    Dolby Fails To Pause Acer's FRAND Counterclaim At UPC

    The Unified Patent Court refused on Wednesday to pause Acer's counterclaim seeking a fair license for Dolby's audio-coding patent while an appeal over the court's jurisdiction to hear the challenge is pending.

  • August 05, 2026

    Olympic Body Shoots Down Bow Maker's 'Olymparch' TM 

    The Olympics' governing body has blocked a Chinese archery equipment maker from registering the "Olymparch" trademark, finding that consumers are likely to believe it is officially connected with the Olympic Games.

  • August 05, 2026

    L'Oreal's 'Essie' Nail Polish Picks Off 'LumiEssy' Rival TM

    L'Oreal has persuaded European officials to fully reject a Chinese nail polish brand's application for "LumiEssy," arguing that shoppers would think it was somehow related to the French cosmetics giant's "Essie" brand.

  • August 05, 2026

    Biomaterial Biz Trims Aviation Group's 'Gözen' TM In EU

    A U.S. biomaterials producer has clipped the wings of an aviation company's "Gözen Digital" trademark application in the European Union, proving that consumers could confuse the sign with its own "Gozen" logo.

  • August 04, 2026

    Hendrix Bandmates' Estates To Appeal Sony's Royalties Win

    The estates of Jimi Hendrix's former bandmates are set to appeal against a London court ruling that Sony does not owe them any royalties from its streaming of the band's back catalog in the U.K.

  • August 04, 2026

    EPO Rejects Tech Biz's Bid To Revive Anti-Forgery Patent

    A technology company has failed to persuade European patent officials that its system for verifying banknotes and identity documents deserved patent protection, as an earlier patent had already disclosed its central method of checking how often certain data appears.

  • August 04, 2026

    Oura Ring Maker Trims Chinese Rival's 'Aurafit' TM In EU

    Oura Health has convinced European officials to trim a Chinese entrepreneur's application to register the trademark "Aurafit," after the Finnish technology company demonstrated that consumers could confuse the sign with its health monitoring ring. 

  • August 04, 2026

    Lush Scrubs Chinese Co.'s Bid For 'Lushvibe' TM

    Lush has successfully contested a Chinese company's bid to register the trademark "Lushvibe," as European officials ruled that the name could confuse shoppers looking to buy the British cosmetic company's signature bath bombs.

  • August 11, 2026

    K&L Gates Adds 9-Person Team From German Firm Wende IP

    K&L Gates has expanded in Munich by hiring a nine-strong team from German boutique law firm Wende IP to strengthen its capability in advising clients on patents and other intellectual property matters.

  • August 04, 2026

    Music Publishing Confederation Loses Out On EU TM

    The European Union has refused a music publishing group's request for a trademark over its slogan, ruling that "the global voice of music publishing" is not distinctive enough to deserve protection.

  • August 03, 2026

    Baker Botts Hires Litigators In DC And London

    Baker Botts LLP has hired two litigators who focus on representing companies in highly regulated and technically sophisticated industries as partners in its offices in Washington, D.C., and London, the firm announced Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • What's In The Plan To Boost Germany's Commercial Litigation

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    Lawyers at Cleary discuss Germany's recent draft bill, which establishes commercial courts and introduces English as a court language in civil proceedings, and analyze whether it accomplishes the country's goal of becoming a more attractive venue for commercial litigation.

  • Bitcoin Case Highlights Advanced Age Of UK's IP Law

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    An appellate court's recent decision in a case involving the copyright of bitcoin's file format emphasizes the role of copyright protection in software, and also the challenges of applying decades-old laws to new technologies, say Marianna Foerg and Ben Bell at Potter Clarkson.

  • Future Paths For AI Inventorship After Justices' Thaler Denial

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    Anup Iyer at Moore & Van Allen examines the current and future state of AI inventorship in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to hear Thaler v. Vidal, including collaboration, international challenges, and the need for closer examination in research and development-intensive sectors.

  • EU Ruling Highlights Strategic Benefits Of Patent Appeals

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    The European Patent Office board of appeal recently reversed the examining board's ruling in an application by LG Electronics, highlighting how applicants struggling to escape conflicting objection traps at the examination level can improve their chances of a positive outcome with an appeal, says Andrew Rudhall at Haseltine Lake.

  • Series

    In A 'Barbie' World: Boosting IP Value With Publicity Machines

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    Mattel's history of intellectual property monitoring, including its recent challenge against Burberry over the "BRBY" trademark ahead of the "Barbie" film, shows how IP enforcement strategies can be used as publicity to increase brand value and inform potential collaborations, says Carly Duckett at Shepherd and Wedderburn.

  • UPC Revocation Actions Offer An Attractive Patent Strategy

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    As the Unified Patent Court gains momentum after an initial period of nervousness around the recently launched forum, more businesses may be starting to realize the value of running revocation actions as an alternative route to knocking out patents across Europe, say Oliver Laing and Georgia Carr at Potter Clarkson.

  • 5 Takeaways For Litigants From Early EU Patent Court Ruling

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    One of the first Unified Patent Court ex parte preliminary injunctions was recently granted in myStromer v. Revolt Zycling, demonstrating the court's ability to decide cases extremely quickly, but parties should be careful in phrasing their motions and sufficiently substantiating them to achieve the desired result, says Antje Brambrink at Finnegan.

  • Copyright Cheat Sheet: Finding Substantially Similar Songs

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    Using the recent copyright infringement case against Ed Sheeran over his hit song "Thinking Out Loud" as a case study, forensic musicologist Ethan Lustig provides an overview for attorneys of which musical elements do and do not, when altered, create the sense of a new or distinct composition — a determination increasingly sought from experts in court.

  • Barbie Deals Should Remind Brands Of IP Licensing Benefits

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    Mattel Inc.'s recent licensing of the Barbie trademark — one of the biggest licensing campaigns of recent history — illustrates that, as long as risks are managed properly, intellectual property licensing can form part of the overall business strategy and benefit both parties, say Maria Peyman and Anousha Vasantha at Birketts.

  • Lessons On Cricket Patent History And IP Protection At UPC

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    On the heels of the creation of the Unified Patent Court in Europe, Susan Bradley at Marks & Clerk looks at how its development is interwoven with the history of cricket, and why inventors in that field have always taken advantage of the latest developments in intellectual property protection.

  • Factors To Consider In Protecting Software With Trade Secrets

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    With trade secrets protecting subject matter that would not otherwise be eligible for a patent now a mainstay of many multinationals’ intellectual property strategies, software developers have a number of considerations in deciding whether this is a viable alternative to protect their invention, says Dave Clark at Potter Clarkson.

  • A Look At US Injunctive Relief Trends Amid UPC Chatter

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    While much remains to be seen regarding how the new EU Unified Patent Court will treat injunctive relief in practice, recent data shows that the U.S. framework may be turning in favor of injunction, despite a perception that it can be nearly impossible to obtain in the U.S., say Nirav Desai, Patrick Murray and Roberta Lam at Sterne Kessler.

  • Navigating Europe's New Game-Changing Unified Patent Court

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    Europe's recently opened Unified Patent Court has ushered in a new era in patent law focused on the power of provisional relief, and adapting to both broad protections and compressed timelines is essential for plaintiffs and defendants alike, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Copyright Trial Defense Tips From 'Thinking Out Loud' Case

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    The twofold defense strategy that earned Ed Sheeran his recent "Thinking Out Loud" copyright trial victory revealed the strength of a musician's testimony, the importance of a consistent narrative and the power of public policy arguments when combating infringement claims, say Jonathan Phillips and Latrice Burks at Larson.

  • Getty Case Will Be Pivotal For Generative AI Copyright Issues

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    The Getty v. Stability AI litigation in the U.K. and U.S. raises legal ambiguities on who owns generative artificial intelligence output, and the outcomes will set a major precedent on copyright practices for businesses in both countries and beyond, say Victoria Albrecht at Springbok AI and Mark O'Conor at DLA Piper.

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