Intellectual Property UK

  • September 17, 2025

    Tech Co. Claims Shenzhen Biz Failed To Make 'FridgeCams'

    A U.K. consumer appliance company has sued a Chinese manufacturer for more than £100 million ($136.6 million) in a London court, accusing it of failing to deliver 30,000 internet-enabled cameras for refrigerators it had ordered for around five years.

  • September 17, 2025

    Pinsent Masons-Led Rouse Acquires Rival European IP Firm

    London-based international intellectual property services company The Rouse Group has merged with rival European IP firm Arnold & Siedsma to increase coverage for its existing clients and expand its geographic footprint in a deal guided by Pinsent Masons LLP.

  • September 17, 2025

    Spanish Online Bank Can't Void Insurance Brokerage's EU TM

    A Spanish online bank has lost its attempt to void an insurance brokerage's "Insurance Advisors Associated" trademark, failing to convince European Union officials that there is a risk of confusion with its earlier registrations.

  • September 17, 2025

    Artists Urge UK To Act On Copyright Protection From AI

    More than 70 artists including Mick Jagger and Kate Bush have signed a joint letter urging the government to explain its failure to enforce copyright holders' the rights in advance of a British-American technology pact that could accelerate growth in the artificial intelligence industry.

  • September 16, 2025

    Prosecco Consortium Sues Wine Promoter For TM Misuse

    A consortium that promotes Prosecco has sued a U.K. alcoholic drinks company, its former director and its executive chair in a London court, accusing them of infringing its trademark for the sparkling wine.

  • September 16, 2025

    Virgin Seeks $30M From Alaska Airlines Over Missed Royalties

    Virgin Group told a court on Tuesday that Alaska Airlines must pay it more than $30 million in missed royalty payments, ahead of the substantive dispute alleging the British conglomerate breached a trademark licensing deal for the now-defunct Virgin America branding.

  • September 16, 2025

    Uptake Of Unitary Patents Almost A Third Of EU Total

    Almost a third of European patents granted in 2025 are now registered as unitary patents, as smaller businesses eye up the cost benefits, according to research by Mathys & Squire LLP. 

  • September 16, 2025

    Bayer Voids Singapore Uni's Patent For Fibrosis Treatment

    Bayer has persuaded a European appeals panel to revoke a patent for a fibrosis treatment belonging to a Singaporean university and the country's largest public healthcare group.

  • September 16, 2025

    Socialite Daphne Guinness Beats Daphne Skin Ltd.'s EU TM

    Socialite and fashion designer Daphne Guinness has succeeded in her challenge to an Israeli skincare company's "Daphne Skin Feeding" trademark in Europe.

  • September 16, 2025

    LinkedIn Nixes Polish Biz's 'In' Heart EU Trademark

    LinkedIn has persuaded European officials to partially revoke a Polish company's trademark for the word "in" set within a pink heart, because consumers might think it was associated with the professional networking site. 

  • September 15, 2025

    Kobe Bryant Co. Wins Fight Against 'Black Mamba' TM

    The company managing the intellectual property rights of Kobe Bryant has convinced European officials to partially nix a rival "Black Mamba" trademark over bags and wallets because there was a risk that consumers might mix it up with the dead basketball legend's trademarked nickname. 

  • September 15, 2025

    IP Law Firm Powell Gilbert Launches Germany Office

    Powell Gilbert LLP said Monday that its new office in the German city of Düsseldorf is now fully operational and will serve "as a continental European hub" for the European intellectual property law firm.

  • September 15, 2025

    PepsiCo's Pepsi Brand Blocks Rival's 'Bebsi' TM

    PepsiCo has persuaded European Union officials to block a rival from registering "Bebsi" as a trademark, finding that shoppers could easily mistake it for PepsiCo's flagship soft drink brand Pepsi.

  • September 15, 2025

    Loft Supplier Accused Again Of Copying Rival's Goods

    A loft supplies company has accused a rival at a London court of infringing two patents for its flooring systems, after a recent claim from another supplier targeted the same business.

  • September 15, 2025

    Software Co. Sues Ex-Director For Using Domain Name

    An information technology business has sued the company of an ex-director, claiming that its previous rights to use the domain name "tulier.co.uk" had expired and its continued use of the domain was misleading clients into thinking their services were somehow linked. 

  • September 12, 2025

    Washing Machine Co. Gets UPC Injunction On Dutch Rival

    Europe's patent court has granted an injunction to a washing machine cabinet-maker, and ordered a manufacturer to stop making rival storage units because they likely infringed on the patented invention.

  • September 12, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen former Master Chef presenter Gregg Wallace sue the BBC, Elon Musk's xAI take legal action against a staff engineer, and fashion mogul Kevin-Gerald Stanford file a fresh claim against Lion Capital-owned Klotho and EY amid a long-running All Saints share acquisition dispute.

  • September 12, 2025

    Calvin Klein Can't Nix Chinese Co.'s 'CKA' TM

    Calvin Klein has failed to persuade European officials to nix a Chinese firm's trademark for "CKA," because shoppers would see it was different from CK-branded products.

  • September 12, 2025

    Microsoft Settles UPC Dispute With Smart Mirror Biz

    The Unified Patent Court said Friday that a smart mirror company has withdrawn its patent infringement claim against Microsoft after the two parties reached a settlement.

  • September 12, 2025

    EU Parliament To Probe AI Impact On Patent System's Fitness

    The European Parliament said Friday that it will hold a meeting with the European Patent Office at its Munich headquarters to discuss the impact of the existing patent system and the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

  • September 11, 2025

    Metro Bank Settles £24M Claim Over Coin-Counting Software

    Metro Bank has settled a copyright infringement and licensing spat with software company Arkeyo, which had accused the bank of sharing source code for its coin-counting machines without permission.

  • September 11, 2025

    MoD Partner Unveils Group To Boost Growth With Defense IP

    Several major defense contractors have joined forces in a tech-driven alliance, promising to turn cutting-edge IP into real-world technologies that spill over into the wider economy.

  • September 11, 2025

    Salt Associations Can't Void 'Fleur De Sel' Protected Status

    A European Union court has rejected an attempt from several salt producers' associations to void a protected geographical indication for premium sea salt harvested in southern France.

  • September 11, 2025

    Sweeping UK Reforms A Mixed Bag For Simplifying Designs

    Headline proposals by a government body to examine whether registered designs are novel and can potentially nix protection for computer-generated designs could run counter to the intended goal of simplifying the design system, lawyers say.

  • September 11, 2025

    Estée Lauder Unit Nixes Distributors' 'The O' TM

    A company owned by cosmetics giant Estée Lauder has convinced European officials to nix a German distributor's trademark for "The O" over perfumed candles because shoppers might think it was linked to its brand called The Ordinary. 

Expert Analysis

  • 'Biosimilar V. Biosimilar' Patent Case May Be First Of Many

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    ​While the idea of patent disputes between makers of follow-on drugs is nothing new​, the complaint recently filed by Coherus against Amgen in Delaware federal court is unique in that it pits one biosimilar developer against another, say attorneys with Goodwin Procter LLP.

  • UK Patent Law: Hot Topics Of 2018 And What's Ahead

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    English courts have been active in the past year, grappling with patent topics like plausibility and equivalents, and 2019 promises to be another exciting year as English patent lawyers await developments on obviousness, insufficiency and employee inventor compensation, says Jin Ooi of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • Coordinating Patent Strategies Across PTAB And EPO

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    The positions, arguments and prior art raised in U.S. post-grant proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board may influence European Patent Office oppositions involving counterpart cases. Understanding the procedural similarities and differences between the two jurisdictions is key, says Drew Schulte of Haley Guiliano LLP.

  • New EU Patent Guidelines May Affect Companies' AI Strategy

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    As compared to the European Patent Office’s guidelines for artificial intelligence and machine learning — which take effect on Thursday — the U.S. eligibility framework may prove to be more favorable to innovators, say Jennifer Maisel and Eric Blatt of Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck PC​​​​​​​.

  • Intellectual Property Caught In US-China Trade Crossfire

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    Earlier this year, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products as a response to China’s trade practices concerning technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation. The U.S.-Chinese trade war highlights the need to approach investments in China differently, taking a broad view of intellectual assets and looking beyond basic legal protection, says Holly White, a consultant at Rouse & Co.

  • Patent Eligibility Assessments: US Approach Vs. UK Approach

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    Techniques used to address questions of obviousness in the U.K. may prove useful to practitioners addressing questions of patent eligibility in the U.S., say Christopher Carroll and Charles Larsen of White & Case LLP.

  • Surveying The CRISPR Patent War

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    Following this week’s oral argument at the Federal Circuit in University of California v. Broad Institute, there has been a surge of interest in the long-running CRISPR patent dispute. There are battles raging on multiple fronts, particularly in Europe, with several more on deck in the U.S., and maybe even in China, says Michael Stramiello of Paul Hastings LLP.

  • UK Patent Ruling Sharpens Contrast With US Practice

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    The U.K. Court of Appeal's decision last month in Regeneron v. Kymab is significant because it aligns the U.K.’s approach to the assessment of insufficiency with that of the European Patent Office. It also highlights, for U.S. companies, the stricter standard to which patent specifications are subject in Europe, say Edward Kelly and Regina Sam Penti of Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • IP Considerations For UK Open Banking App Developers

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    Since January of this year, consumer-facing banks in the U.K. have been required to make customers' banking data available to authorized third parties in a standardized format. As competition between open banking app developers increases, intellectual property rights will become a key legal tool, say Rajvinder Jagdev and Peter Damerell of Powell Gilbert LLP.

  • The Case For Early Mediation Or Arbitration In IP Disputes

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    Alternative dispute resolution is one of the best ways to resolve disputes involving patents, copyright, trademark, trade secrets and other intellectual property issues. While not every situation lends itself to ADR, it is more accessible than many parties assume, says Jerry Cohen of Burns & Levinson LLP.

  • International Arbitration In 2018: A Year Of Rule Revisions

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    Though still in its relative infancy, 2018 is shaping up to be a year of arbitral institution rule updates. Neil Newing and Ryan Cable of Signature Litigation LLP explore some of the more innovative and trending rule changes expected or predicted this year.

  • A Look At Chemical Supplemental Examination Requests

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    If used strategically, supplemental examination at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can provide a powerful tool for chemical patent owners to add to their armamentarium of options for Orange Book-listed patents when conducting a due diligence analysis of their patent estate prior to Orange Book listing, say attorneys with Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP.

  • Cloud-Based Patent Claims — And How Providers Can Help

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    Cloud customers may be exposed to liability for open source technologies that are buried deep within their providers’ offerings. In-house legal teams and developers need to be aware of the risk of patent litigation and the extent to which cloud providers can help mitigate these risks, says R. Paul Zeineddin of Zeineddin PLLC.

  • Comparing EU And US Standard-Essential Patent Guidance

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    The European Commission's long-awaited guidance on litigating and licensing standard-essential patents clarifies what conduct may insulate an SEP owner from abuse claims under competition law, in sharp contrast to the U.S., where the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice have declined to adopt any views on the subject, say Edward Kelly and Regina Sam Penti of Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • Strategic Considerations In Selecting Emergency Arbitration

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    In recent years, all of the major arbitral institutions have introduced an emergency arbitration procedure, yet studies suggest that parties rarely avail themselves of emergency arbitration and instead turn to local courts in times of crisis. Attorneys with Kirkland & Ellis LLP explore several considerations when determining where to pursue emergency relief.

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