Intellectual Property UK

  • April 24, 2026

    Nokia Wins Anti-Anti-Suit Injunction In Patent Case

    Nokia has won an anti-anti-suit injunction against Geely amid their ongoing patent licensing feud, persuading the Unified Patent Court to block the carmaker from seeking anti-suit injunctions of its own in China.

  • April 24, 2026

    Film Co. Wins Claim Co-Founder Diverted Work To Rival

    A London judge ruled Friday that a former director and co-founder of a video production company breached his duties to it by diverting business and misusing company information to run a competitor.

  • April 24, 2026

    Rolex Calls Time On Rival's 'Lolex' TM For Pillows

    Rolex has convinced European officials to nix a travel blanket maker's trademark application for "Lolex" over certain pillows, ruling that shoppers would think that the products were part of a Rolex-branded line of luxurious home furnishing.

  • April 24, 2026

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

    The past week in London has seen a Hong Kong company sue the government and a COVID-19 PPE company linked to Tory peer Michelle Mone, an oligarch bring a fresh claim against a rival in a long-running feud, a rugby league club sue over a canceled mass dance event, and Visa and Mastercard hit with legal action from H&M, Eurostar, and Bang & Olufsen. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • April 23, 2026

    Copyright Deals Can Hinge On EU Contract Laws, AG Says

    An adviser to the European Union's top court clarified on Thursday when judges should interpret the validity of cross-border copyright agreements in line with the bloc's conflict-of-laws rules governing contracts.

  • April 23, 2026

    BAT Unit Beats 'Man Royals International' TM For Cigarettes

    A subsidiary of BAT has convinced European officials to nix an Iraqi manufacturer's trademark for "Man Royals International" over tobacco products after it showed that shoppers might link it to its "Royals" brand.

  • April 23, 2026

    ECJ Says Italian Laws Cannot Extend Preliminary Injunctions

    The European Union's highest court ruled Thursday that bloc members cannot keep preliminary injunctions in place in intellectual property cases once someone has missed the cutoff to formally file a claim.

  • April 23, 2026

    Crocs Loses Appeal Over Clog Similarity To 'Holey Soles'

    A European court has rejected Crocs' bid to regain exclusive rights over a clog-shoe design following a challenge from a rival shoemaker, as an earlier design for shoes branded as "Holey Soles" looked far too similar to the American company's model.

  • April 23, 2026

    Vape Co.'s Lawyer Beats Rival's UKIPO Email Contempt Claim

    A Chinese vape company and its solicitors defeated contempt proceedings over emails that asked the U.K. Intellectual Property Office to delay registering a trademark pending an appeal, as a London judge ruled on Thursday that this was "nothing improper."

  • April 22, 2026

    Biogen Loses Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Patent On Appeal

    European appellate officials have revoked a Biogen patent for a multiple sclerosis treatment, ruling that the pharmaceutical giant had wrongly narrowed its patented claims compared with the more general statements of its first application. 

  • April 22, 2026

    WIPO Head Gets Another Term To Lead UN Agency

    World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Daren Tang has been reappointed to the position after being nominated by its coordination committee earlier this year to again lead the United Nations agency.

  • April 22, 2026

    Nokia Fights English Court's Jurisdiction To Hear RAND Claim

    Nokia told the Court of Appeal on Wednesday that the English courts have no business setting terms to license its suite of video-codec patents to Acer and Asus, marking the latest jurisdictional spat over standard-essential patents to reach the appellate court.

  • April 22, 2026

    Drugmaker Denies Ripping Off Veterinary Injection Patent

    A drugmaker has denied copying a Dechra unit's formula used to treat vomiting in cats and dogs, arguing that the pharmaceutical company never held a valid patent over the formula in the U.K.

  • April 22, 2026

    P&G Beats Coffee Co.'s Bid To Nix Pepto-Bismol TM

    European officials have rejected a Spanish café owner's bid to revoke Procter & Gamble's "Pepto" trademark, ruling that shoppers wouldn't mix it up with "Cafes Pepetto" because coffee products had nothing to do with Pepto-Bismol medication for indigestion.

  • April 21, 2026

    Sports Direct Challenges Costs In 10-Year Polo Club TM Spat

    Counsel for Sports Direct asked the Court of Appeal on Tuesday to reconsider whether the licensing arm of Lifestyle Equities should be awarded costs for prevailing in a decade-old trademark fight over the Beverly Hills Polo Club brand.

  • April 21, 2026

    Airbnb Puts Virtual Reality Co.'s 'Vrbnb' Logo TM To Bed

    Airbnb has persuaded a European Union panel to revoke a French company's "Vrbnb" trademark after arguing that its opponent has failed to use the mark within the bloc in recent years.

  • April 21, 2026

    Distillery Denies Infringing Brewery's 'Titanic' TM

    A British distillery has denied infringing a brewery's "Titanic" trademark covering beers, telling a London court that its own Titanic brand has "peacefully coexisted" in the separate market for gin.

  • April 21, 2026

    Apple Sues Tech Biz In Wireless Charging Licensing Row

    Apple has accused an Israeli tech company of demanding excessive fees for wireless charging patents and using parallel litigation in the U.S. to pressure the iPhone maker into accepting an unfair licensing deal. 

  • April 21, 2026

    TomTom Rebuts £5.2M Royalties Claim From Parking Biz

    TomTom has denied owing £5.2 million ($7 million) in royalties under a licensing agreement with a company that indexes car park locations, arguing at a London court that its opponent owes money under the deal.

  • April 27, 2026

    The 2026 UK Lawyer Satisfaction Survey: Where Do You Stand?

    How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 UK Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.

  • April 20, 2026

    Abbott Wins Glucose Monitor Sales Ban On Appeal At UPC

    Abbott has persuaded appellate judges at the Unified Patent Court to stop Sinocare selling certain glucose monitoring displays in Europe, proving that its Chinese rival's devices are likely to have infringed its patent.

  • April 20, 2026

    Royal Family Textile Supplier Denies Copying Fern Print

    A fabric and wallpaper supplier for the British royal family has denied claims that it stole a rival's copyrighted designs, arguing that it had independently come up with a wavy pattern of ferns. 

  • April 20, 2026

    Ronaldo's Perfume Gets Red Card In 'Origins' TM Dispute

    A subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies has blocked a "Cristiano Ronaldo Origins" trademark application in the U.K. by showing that the mark could take unfair advantage of its existing "Origins" skincare brand.

  • April 20, 2026

    EU 'Pastiche' Ruling Offers New Tool For Copyright Defense

    The European Union's top court has in principle opened the door for creatives to skirt copyright protections if the use of another's work is considered pastiche, and lawyers expect to see the previously obscure copyright exception become a popular defense.

  • April 20, 2026

    Ferrari Puts Brakes On F355 Kit Car Sales In Netherlands

    Ferrari has persuaded a Dutch court to prevent an opponent from selling kit-car versions of the F355 sports car as it proved that the replica models infringed its copyright over the design of the vehicle.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Ways To Address The Legal Risks Of Employee AI Use

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    Employees’ use of unauthorized artificial intelligence tools has become a regulatory issue, and in-house legal counsel are best placed to close the gap between governance controls and innovation, mitigating the risk of organizations' exposure to noncompliance with European Union and U.K. data protection requirements, say lawyers at MoFo.

  • EU-US Data Transfer Ruling Offers Reassurance To Cos.

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    The European Union General Court’s recent upholding of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework in Latombe v. European Commission, although subject to appeal, provides companies with legal certainty for the first time by allowing the transfer of European Economic Area personal data without relying on alternative mechanisms, say lawyers at Wilson Sonsini.

  • Between The Lines Of EPO's Adoption Of Color Drawings

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    The European Patent Office's decision to accept patent drawings in color starting in October may enhance clarity in technical disclosures and streamline the examination process, and could also enable new patent filing strategies for international applicants, say attorneys at Miller Canfield.

  • How WTO's Anti-Suit Injunction Ruling Affects IP Stakeholders

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    The World Trade Organization's recent ruling in favor of the European Union's challenge to Chinese courts' anti-suit injunction practices should hearten holders of standard-essential patents, while implementers can take solace that they retain mechanisms to distinguish the WTO decision when seeking anti-suit injunctions in U.S. courts, says Michael Franzinger at Dentons.

  • How Logo Confusion Ruling Expands TM Protection

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    The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Iconix v. Dream Pairs confirms that postsale confusion is actionable in trademark infringement claims, and also warns appellate courts to not rewrite lower courts' factual analyses, say lawyers at Morgan Lewis.

  • IP Considerations As UK Maintains Exhaustion Regime

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    The U.K. government's decision to keep its existing regime of exhaustion of intellectual property rights means IP owners should review their existing and new European distribution agreements to account for the different regimes in the U.K. and European Union, says Rebecca Anderson-Smith at Mewburn Ellis.

  • EPO Ruling On Claim Interpretation Will Have Broad Impact

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    The European Patent Office Enlarged Board of Appeal’s recent decision, finding that the description and drawings in a patent should always be consulted to interpret claims, will fundamentally change how the EPO interprets patent claims in both examination and opposition proceedings, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Challenges Law Firms Face In Recruiting Competitor Teams

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    Since the movement of lawyer teams from a competitor can bring legal considerations and commercial risks into play, both the target and recruiting firms should be familiar with the relevant limited liability partnership deed to protect their business, say lawyers at Fox & Partners.

  • Fashion IP Lessons From UK Design Rights Ruling

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    The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court’s recent ruling in Edwards v. Boohoo.com illustrates the challenges that independent designers face when attempting to enforce unregistered design rights in an era dominated by fast fashion, while also highlighting the utility of the IPEC, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Should Patent Disputes Be Filed In The ITC Or UPC?

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    When companies must choose between initiating patent litigation in the U.S. International Trade Commission or the European Union's Unified Patent Court, the ITC may offer a few distinct advantages, but ultimately the decision requires consideration of case-specific factors, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • Prospects And Challenges For Expert Evidence At The UPC

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    Expert testimony on economic or damages-related issues will likely play a larger part in Unified Patent Court proceedings in the near future, potentially presenting unique challenges for experts, counsel and judges alike, say analysts at Charles River.

  • Strategies For Litigating In The Unified Patent Court

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    Since opening its gates two years ago, the European Unified Patent Court has transformed the patent litigation landscape and global litigation strategies, but parties seeking to take advantage of the court's robust processes must be prepared for the front-loaded character of UPC proceedings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Incorporating UKIPO Guidance Into AI Patent Strategies

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    Updated guidance from the U.K. Intellectual Property Office sheds light on how it assesses patents for artificial intelligence inventions and highlights approaches that improve applicants' options for demonstrating that AI provides a technical contribution, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Clarity On Knotty Patent Jurisdiction Questions From CJEU

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    The recent ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union in BSH v. Electrolux sheds light on how the jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court competes with that of the EU member state courts over infringement and validity actions, and could extend international jurisdiction of the EU courts in several ways, say lawyers at August Debouzy.

  • Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Divergent Approaches Emerge

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    With indications of greater divergence and uncertainty in Russia sanctions policy between the U.K., European Union and U.S., there are four general principles and a range of compliance steps that businesses should bear in mind when assessing the impact of a potentially shifting landscape, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

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