Intellectual Property UK

  • September 23, 2025

    Premier League Scores TM Win In 'Summer Series' Fight

    An event organizer has failed to persuade British officials to deny a trademark application from the company that runs the Premier League, because its use of the phrase "Summer Series" to market London boat parties wouldn't be seen as a trademark.

  • September 23, 2025

    Paris Rodin Museum Takes Partial Victory In EU TM Fight

    The Rodin museum in Paris has kept the majority of its trademark protections over its name in the European Union after fighting off a challenge from a Mexican paint company of the same name.

  • September 23, 2025

    7-A-Side Football League Keeps 'Peluche Caligari' EU TM

    Seven-a-side football competition Kings League has fought off a challenge to its European Union trademark covering the name of its "Peluche Caligari" team.

  • September 23, 2025

    UK Gov't Names New IP Minister Amid AI Growth Push

    The government named Kanishka Narayan as the new minister responsible for intellectual property on Tuesday, replacing Feryal Clark MP, as it looks to advance the U.K.'s push on IP and artificial intelligence. 

  • September 23, 2025

    Nokia Unit Loses Appeal For Network System Patent At EPO

    A European appeals panel has rejected a Nokia subsidiary's attempt to revive its application for a network system patent, ruling in a decision released Tuesday that the tech isn't inventive.

  • September 22, 2025

    UK Juice Co. Denies 'Boost' Trademark Infringement Claims

    A U.K. juice bar company has denied the claims of an Australian rival that its use of the word "boost" in its marketing amounts to a trademark infringement, arguing that the word is simply descriptive and not protected by copyright.

  • September 22, 2025

    Chinese Brand Beats French Retailer's 'IABI' TM Challenge

    A Chinese business has fought off a challenge to its "IABI" trademark application, persuading U.K. officials that shoppers would not mix up the sign with a French clothing brand's "KIABI" branding.

  • September 22, 2025

    Jewelry Co. Sues Rival For 'Almas Jewellers' TM Infringement

    A jewelry supplier is suing a rival business in a London court, accusing it of stealing its "Almas Jewellers" trademark.

  • September 22, 2025

    Instone Real Estate Beats Challenge To EU TM

    A Portuguese property company has lost its challenge to German development business Instone Real Estate Group SE's trademark, after European Union officials found that differences between the signs would prevent confusion.

  • September 22, 2025

    Solventum Unit Withdraws Wound Care Patent At EPO

    Officials at the European Patent Office have ruled that a subsidiary of healthcare company Solventum Corp. cannot retain its patent for an adhesive cover used in wound care after the company withdrew its appeal during proceedings.

  • September 19, 2025

    Gilead Fights Chinese Research Institute Over COVID Patent

    American biopharmaceutical company Gilead is asking a London court to ax a Chinese military research institute's patent for a COVID-19 treatment, arguing that the drug was not a patentable invention.

  • September 19, 2025

    Spanish Knife-Maker Can't Void TM From Ex-Employee's Biz

    A European Union appeals panel has rejected a Spanish knife company's bid to block a trademark application from a former employee's new company, deeming the matter "irrelevant" to its scrutiny of the application.

  • September 19, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen brokerage firm ADS Securities file a fresh claim against German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst, AmTrust and Endurance Worldwide Insurance tackle an ongoing £50 million ($67 million) dispute over a failed litigation and insurance scheme, and Howard Kennedy LLP sue the son of a diamond tycoon over a £3.1 million legal bill. 

  • September 19, 2025

    Philip Morris Beats Challenge To 'Veev Now' E-Cig TM In EU

    Philip Morris has persuaded a European Union appeals board not to quash its "Veev Now" e-cigarette trademark application, proving there is no risk of confusion with a Polish rival's earlier "Vivo" branding.

  • September 19, 2025

    Entain Sues Matched Betting Biz Over TM Infringement

    The owner of the Ladbrokes and Bwin gambling websites has sued a company that provides paying members with tools to maximize betting returns, accusing it of infringing its IP by displaying its trademarks and logos. 

  • September 19, 2025

    US-Based MSD Must Pay £6M For Use Of 'Merck' In UK

    A London court on Friday ordered the pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC to pay its German namesake, Merck KGaA, at least £5.7 million ($7.7 million) after it violated a long-standing agreement restricting its use of their shared "Merck" name in the U.K.

  • September 18, 2025

    ArcelorMittal Loses Fight Against Rival Steel Sheet Patent

    JFE Steel can keep its patent for a method for making hot-pressed steel sheets, after European appellate officials dismissed ArcelorMittal's claims that scientists at the time would have thought of making stronger sheets by using a special heat treatment. 

  • September 18, 2025

    Trump Trade War Could Swamp UKIPO With More 'Garble' TMs

    Chinese trademark applications are flooding the U.K. system and adding months to the usually short registration process, lawyers say, warning the problem will only worsen as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. 

  • September 18, 2025

    Bird & Bird Opens Lisbon Office, Expanding Iberian Reach

    Bird & Bird LLP said Thursday that it has hired a new team in Portugal to open an office in Lisbon, strengthening its position in the wider Iberian market after expanding its footprint in Japan and Saudi Arabia in recent years.

  • September 18, 2025

    Maria Callas Foundation Beats Greek Co.'s EU TM

    A foundation promoting the legacy of late Opera legend Maria Callas has convinced European officials to completely nix a Greek gala-runner's trademark over her name because the public might think its award ceremonies were linked to the foundation. 

  • September 18, 2025

    J&J Unit Beats Roche's Insulin Pump Patent Challenge At EPO

    A Johnson & Johnson subsidiary has persuaded European officials to uphold a tweaked version of its patent for an insulin pump, fighting off Roche's attempt to void its protections over the technology.

  • September 18, 2025

    Norwegian Cruise Biz Loses Gin '66' TM In Distillery Challenge

    A German distillery has persuaded European Union trademark officials to reject a cruise line's "66 By Norwegian" trademark for gin, saying that consumers might confuse the brand with the absinthe it produces.

  • September 18, 2025

    US Payments Biz Has 'Makecents' TM Revoked For Non-Use

    European officials have ruled in favor of Dutch financial technology company UpToMore, stripping an American competitor's trademark for "makecents" after it failed to prove that it had been used for computer software and bank transactions.

  • September 17, 2025

    Nikon Loses Patent Bid Over Disclosed Microscope Method

    A European Patent Office appeals board has revoked Nikon Corp.'s patent relating to an analysis device and microscope method for analyzing images, finding that the company's patent had already been disclosed in a science paper.

  • September 17, 2025

    Chanel Beats Chinese Co.'s 'Jnanel' TM

    Chanel has convinced European officials to completely nix a Chinese trademark application for "Jnanel," as shoppers might think that the Jnanel-branded line of hats and gloves belonged to the French luxury giant. 

Expert Analysis

  • Henry Schein Case Illuminates Maze Of Arbitrability Questions

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s Henry Schein decision strengthens the enforceability of arbitration provisions, the Fifth Circuit’s ruling on remand concerning arbitrability authority, exemplifies a need for careful drafting of arbitration clauses, say Andrew Behrman and Brandt Thomas Roessler at Baker Botts.

  • Using Global Dossier To Simplify USPTO Disclosure Duty

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can make compliance with its duty of disclosure less burdensome by allowing applicants to submit a list of patent families that are believed to have material information and defining electronically available records broadly to include the Global Dossier, whose use the USPTO recently encouraged, says Brian Dorini of InterDigital CE Holdings.

  • The Unique Challenges Of Owning International Cannabis IP

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    Due to the cost of prosecuting patents and the uncertainty in obtaining and enforcing cannabis patents in foreign jurisdictions, building a global cannabis patent portfolio presents complex strategic questions, says Jayashree Mitra of Zuber Lawler.

  • IP Protection Still Elusive For Data Compilations In US And EU

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    As businesses continue to increase investment into artificial intelligence systems, questions arise as to whether they can own or legally protect data compiled by those systems. Currently, in the U.S. and EU, obtaining copyright protection for databases is difficult and trade secret protection requires policies and procedures to establish rights, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Perspectives

    Artisanal Miners' Roadblocks To Justice: Is A Path Clearing?

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    Efforts to give small-scale gold miners, who face displacement, pollution and violence at sites around the world, access to fair and functioning justice systems have met with apathy from politicians and fierce resistance from powerful business lobbies, but there are signs that this may be changing, says Mark Pieth, president of the Basel Institute on Governance.

  • How PTAB Is Applying New Patent Eligibility Guidance

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    Since the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released its revised patent eligibility guidance in January, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has been reversing Section 101 rejections at a higher rate, say Nick Anderson and Braden Katterheinrich of Faegre Baker Daniels.

  • Keys To Successful AI Patents In The US And Europe

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    Unsurprisingly, the World Intellectual Property Organization recently reported that patent filings for artificial intelligence inventions are increasing rapidly. Stakeholders should be mindful of maintaining quality during this filing surge, says Drew Schulte of Haley Guiliano LLP.

  • 9 Ways To Prepare Your IP Rights For Brexit

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    Those with a European intellectual property portfolio should be considering how Brexit — scheduled for March 29 — will affect EU trademarks and registered community designs, says Paula Jill Krasny of Levenfeld Pearlstein LLC.

  • '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.

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