Intellectual Property UK

  • September 09, 2025

    French Cosmetics Biz Denies Copying Rival's LED Mask

    A French cosmetics company has denied copying a British competitor's LED light-therapy mask designs, telling a London court that it had no intention of duping its rival's customers.

  • September 09, 2025

    Apple Swerves UPC Claim Over Location-Tagging Tech

    A patent monetization firm has dropped its infringement action against Apple at the Unified Patent Court, withdrawing its claim that the technology giant had used vital location-tagging technology without permission.

  • September 15, 2025

    HGF Ramps Up Europe Expansion With 3 IP Partners

    HGF Ltd. has welcomed three new patent partners to its Munich and Paris offices, after securing a private equity investment in its bid to grow in the European intellectual property space.

  • September 08, 2025

    Taylor Wessing Munich Partners Launch New IP Boutique

    Five German patent partners at Taylor Wessing LLP are poised to leave the firm in the fall to launch their own legal outfit called Pentarc.

  • September 08, 2025

    Family Biz Hits Back At Builder's Bid To Claw Back TM Fees

    A family firm has asserted that a trademark for "Miller Metcalfe" was properly transferred to it despite a homebuilder's claims, giving it every right to collect £150,000 ($203,225) in license fees over five years.

  • September 08, 2025

    Jimmy Choo Loses Challenge To 'CHHU' Jewelry TM

    Designer shoemaker Jimmy Choo has lost its bid to block a "chhu" trademark for jewelry after European Union officials found consumers would be able to distinguish between the two.

  • September 08, 2025

    BASF Fends Off Syngenta Challenge To Crop Protection IP

    Chemicals giant BASF has fought off the latest challenge by Syngenta Crop Protection AG to its patent for a way of controlling fungi in crops, convincing an appeals board that the patent is new over a series of earlier blueprints for similar pesticides.

  • September 08, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Steers Servier On $450M Autism Drug Buy

    French pharmaceutical group Servier said Monday it has acquired a potential treatment for the most common genetic cause of autism from U.K.-based biotech Kaerus Bioscience Ltd., in a transaction that could be worth up to $450 million. 

  • September 05, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen professional boxing promoter Boxxer take action against the former head of boxing at Matchroom Sport, Aegis Motor Insurance and Chubb European Group clash over a reinsurance claim, and a transgender pool player sue the English Blackball Pool Federation over its decision to ban her competing in women's teams and tournaments. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Edwards Lifesciences Settles Heart Valve Patent Spat

    Edwards Lifesciences has settled its Unified Patent Court dispute with rivals Sintec and Value Med, with the companies agreeing not to sell prosthetic heart valves that infringe Edwards' IP in Europe.

  • September 05, 2025

    Sabadell Can't Nix Swiss Investment Firm's TM 

    Spanish bank Sabadell failed to convince European officials to nix an investment firm's mark for the letter "B" because the fact that its own mark also contained a "B" wasn't enough to make the public think that their financial services were somehow linked. 

  • September 05, 2025

    Top Commercial Dispute Cases To Watch In The Rest Of 2025

    Litigators will be eagerly awaiting the first "dieselgate" trial in what will be the largest ever group action in England and Wales when the courts return after the summer recess, as well as keeping an eye out for the outcome of a £36 billion ($49 billion) claim against BHP. Here, Law360 looks at those and other big cases to watch out for the rest of 2025.

  • September 05, 2025

    Arkema Unit Beats Appeal For EU Hydrogenation Patent

    Mexican chemical company Mexichem Fluor has failed to convince European officials that its patent for a chemical de-hydrogenation process is inventive, after opposition brought by the French branch of specialty materials maker Arkema Group.

  • September 05, 2025

    Halozyme Defends Drug Delivery IP In Battle With Merck

    Halozyme has denied claims that its patent for an under-the-skin drug delivery system should be nixed, asking a London court to stop Merck Sharp & Dohme from launching a new cancer drug that copies the technology.

  • September 04, 2025

    ECJ Says Partners Can Represent Their Firms In EU Courts

    The European Union's top court said Thursday that partners can represent their law firms before the bloc's courts as long as there is no "manifestly detrimental effect" on their capacity as a representative.

  • September 04, 2025

    ECJ Says Experts Not Needed To Weigh Design Rights In Lego

    Europe's highest court ruled Thursday that the question over whether a product infringes on design rights doesn't need to be answered by a technical expert, saying an informed user should be able to make the call in a dispute over protections for Lego pieces.  

  • September 04, 2025

    Poland Must Pay Commission €8M For Copyright Failings

    The European Union's highest court ordered Poland on Thursday to pay the European Commission €8.3 million ($11.1 million) alongside daily fines for adopting the bloc's copyright law reforms three years after the deadline had passed.

  • September 04, 2025

    Energy Giant OMV Gets Hygiene Biz's TM Nixed On Appeal

    Austrian energy major OMV has persuaded a European Union court to nix an identical mark of its name, overturning an earlier ruling that the reputation of its brand in the oil sector did not overlap with the other company's feminine hygiene products.

  • September 04, 2025

    3M Loses Appeal For Hand-Held Spray Gun EU Patent

    3M Innovative Properties Co., a unit of U.S. tech conglomerate 3M, has lost its appeal against a decision that blocks its European patent for a hand-held spray gun.

  • September 04, 2025

    UKIPO Weighs Protection For AI-Generated Designs

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office said Thursday that it is reviewing whether artificial intelligence-generated designs should be eligible for protection in Britain.

  • September 03, 2025

    Italian Police Take Assets Of Cos. Accused Of €40M VAT Fraud

    Italian authorities seized assets Wednesday from two software companies, uncovering evidence that they defrauded European governments of around €40 million ($46.7 million) in value-added taxes, the European Public Prosecutor's Office and Italian Financial Police said.

  • September 03, 2025

    The Biggest UK IP Developments Of 2025 So Far

    British courts have opened the doors for brand owners to crack down on look-alikes, gone back and forth on whether parties should agree to a license mid-patent dispute, and are staring down the barrel of a future where European courts can rule on infringement of U.K. patents.

  • September 03, 2025

    HP Bars German Co. From Selling Rival Ink Cartridges In EU

    HP convinced Europe's patent court on Wednesday to stop a German shop from selling rival ink cartridges while it continues to fight HP's infringement claims because shoppers might permanently switch to cheaper knockoffs and irremediably undercut HP's market position.

  • September 03, 2025

    Japanese Biz Gets Brake Friction Material Patent Trimmed

    The European Patent Office has partly upheld an appeal by a German trade association, cutting a patent held by Japanese manufacturer Akebono Brake Industry Co. Ltd. over copper-free friction materials for brake pads.

  • September 03, 2025

    Warner Bros. Beats German Production Co.'s 'W&B' TM

    Warner Bros. convinced a European Union court on Wednesday to nix a German production company's trademark application for "W&B TV," after proving that the public would mix up the sign with its shield logo.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    EU's AI Code Of Practice Creates Risk Of Regulatory Clashes

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    The second draft of the European Commission's Artificial Intelligence Code of Practice significantly expands beyond the European Union's existing legal framework for AI — especially around copyright protection, public transparency and reporting obligations — and risks interfering with other EU laws by introducing requirements contrary to existing regulations, say lawyers at MoFo.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Key Points From Gov't Consultation On Copyright And AI

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    The U.K. government’s current consultation on mitigating artificial intelligence input and output risks to copyright holders seeks to facilitate copyright holders in bringing actions against AI developers that make unauthorized use of protected works and mandate consistent labeling of AI-generated content, say lawyers at Deloitte.

  • What 2025 Holds For UK, EU Restructuring And Insolvency

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    European Union and U.K. restructuring developments in 2024, with a new era of director accountability, the use of cramdown tools and the emergence of aggressive liability management exercises, mean greater consideration of creditors' interests and earlier engagement in restructuring discussions can be expected this year, says Inga West at Ashurst.

  • What To Know As EU Urges Outbound Investment Reviews

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    A recent European Commission recommendation urges European Union member states to review outbound investments in certain critical technologies sectors, but does not clarify the next steps for states once information on relevant transactions in third countries is received, say lawyers at Cleary.

  • Exam Board Ruling Expands Scope Of 'Newcomer Injunctions'

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    The High Court's recent decision granting AQA Education a digital "newcomer injunction" prevents anonymous internet users from distributing unlawfully obtained exam materials, and extends the scope of such injunctions from issues of trespass to the protection of confidential information, say lawyers at Fieldfisher.

  • Considering The Status Of The US Doctrine Of Patent Misuse

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision and a U.K. Court of Appeal decision demonstrate the impact that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment has had on the principle that post-patent-expiration royalty payments amount to patent misuse, not only in the U.S. but in English courts as well, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Sky Trademark Ruling Suggests Strategy Tips For Brands

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    Following the U.K. Supreme Court's SkyKick v. Sky trademark ruling, brand owners should strike a balance between a specification broad enough to meet business requirements but not so broad as to invite unnecessary counterattacks for bad faith, says Josh Charalambous at RPC.

  • Keeping Up With Europe's Pregrant Description Amendments

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    A recent Technical Board of Appeal decision that there is no legal basis in the European Patent Convention for requiring pregrant description amendments has generated legal uncertainty on this issue, and practitioners should consider deleting unclaimed alternatives, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • How The UPC, ITC Complement Each Other In Patent Law

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    Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss the similarities and differences between the Unified Patent Court and the International Trade Commission, as well as recent matters litigated in both venues and why parties choose to file at these forums.

  • Rowing Machine IP Loss Waters Down Design Protections

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    The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court's recent judgment dismissing WaterRower's claim that its wooden rowing machines were works of artistic craftsmanship highlights divergence between U.K. and European Union copyright law, and signals a more stringent approach to protecting designs in a post-Brexit U.K., say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Takeaways From EU's Draft AI Code Of Practice

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    The European Union AI Office’s recently published first draft of the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice sheds some welcome light on which Artificial Intelligence Act compliance issues the office finds particularly knotty and, importantly, acknowledges where further guidance will be necessary, say lawyers at Akin.

  • The Rising Tide Of EU Antitrust Enforcement In Pharma

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    The European Commission’s recent record-breaking €463 million fine of Teva for abusing its dominant position confirms that European Union competition law enforcement in the pharmaceutical sector remains a priority, with infringements drawing serious financial exposure, say lawyers at Cooley.

  • What The Future Of AI In Financial Services Looks Like

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    Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the global financial services industry, with a hybrid model likely to evolve where AI handles routine tasks and humans focus on strategy and decision-making, so financial institutions should work with regulators to establish ethical standards and meet regulatory expectations without stifling innovation, say lawyers at Womble Bond.

  • The EU Design System Changes US Cos. Need To Know About

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    With a number of major reforms to the European Union's design protection system set to take effect in the first half of 2025, U.S. companies need to stay informed about specific details to maintain effective intellectual property management in the EU market, say lawyers at Finnegan.

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