Intellectual Property UK

  • March 04, 2026

    EasyGroup Fails To Prove 'EasyOffice' TM Use For Telecoms

    European officials have refused to reinstate easyGroup's "easyOffice" trademark for telecommunications, concluding that the low-cost airline owner's promotion of broadband services to office rentals wasn't enough to merit protection.

  • March 04, 2026

    US Filmmakers Can't Cash In On Dutch Broadcasts

    A Dutch court blocked filmmakers in the U.S. from claiming payment for broadcasts of their work in the Netherlands, ruling Wednesday that the writers and directors routinely assign their copyrights to film studios under U.S. law.

  • March 04, 2026

    Shein Denies Retailer Owns Copyright In Influencer Posts

    Fast fashion giant Shein has denied infringing a clothing retail brand's copyright by replicating more than 500 photographs in digital adverts and listings on its U.K. website. 

  • March 04, 2026

    Microsoft Loses Appeal For Spreadsheet Program Patent

    Microsoft has lost its bid to patent a spreadsheet program that allows data objects to float after European officials held that its distinguishing feature was a "minor and obvious modification" of an earlier Excel spreadsheet application. 

  • March 04, 2026

    Viatris Unit Can't Ax Patent For Anemia Drug Evrenzo

    Viatris, Teva and Sandoz have lost their challenge to a rival's European patent for anemia drug Evrenzo, failing to convince an appeals panel that the treatment is not inventive enough to merit protection.

  • March 03, 2026

    Roche Gives Up On Bid To Patent Cancer Fusion Gene Tool

    European officials have revoked Roche's patent over a process for detecting hybrid genes associated with certain cancers after the pharmaceutical giant said it "no longer approved" of the text, handing an inadvertent win to an anonymous opponent.

  • March 03, 2026

    AI Music Co. Loses Bid For UK Patent Over Software Rule

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office has rejected a patent application filed by AI music company DAACI, ruling that the company's digital music generation invention should not receive patent protections as it was a "program for a computer."

  • March 03, 2026

    Philips Axes Sleep Apnea Patent At UPC After Failing At EPO

    Philips persuaded the Unified Patent Court on Tuesday to void a U.S. medical technology company's patent for a device that treats sleep apnea, succeeding second time around after falling short at the European Patent Office.

  • March 03, 2026

    Energy Data Co. Settles Supply Cutoff Fight With Startup

    An energy data supplier owned by a consortium of British power companies and an energy startup have settled the dispute that erupted after the data supplier cut off the startup for allegedly passing on data to third parties.

  • March 03, 2026

    Wrigley Gum Loses Bid To Nix Rival's 'LifeSavers'-Like Candy

    Candy maker Wrigley has lost its bid to nix a rival's patent for a candy offering a "multi-flavor experience," after European officials ruled that the Mars unit's 16-year-old gummies didn't make the rival's two-layered candy obvious to make.

  • March 03, 2026

    Google Hit With Cloud Computing Patent Claim In UK

    A Virginia-based tech business has told a London court that Google's cloud computing technology infringes its data processing patent, adding to its parallel claim against Amazon that hinges on the same patent.

  • March 02, 2026

    Total Electric Is Told Breach Claims Need More Specificity

    A London judge has ruled that Total Electric must redraft its breach claims against former business partner Nortek if it wants to rely more heavily on a 2017 agreement, after earlier arguments based on a 2010 deal failed.

  • March 02, 2026

    Philips' Computer Chip Patent Invalidated In German Case

    Germany's Federal Patent Court has invalidated Philips' already-expired patent covering a kind of circuitry for computer chips, ruling that the technology was not inventive when the Dutch company filed for protections.

  • March 02, 2026

    BrewDog Sold To US Cannabis Biz Tilray For £33M

    U.S. medical cannabis company Tilray Brands Inc. said Monday that it has bought the brand and intellectual property of Scotland's BrewDog out of administration, in a £33 million ($44 million) deal that will not benefit equity holders in the struggling brewer.

  • March 02, 2026

    Biotech Roquefort To Buy Cancer Drug License For £32M

    Biotechnology company Roquefort confirmed Monday that it has conditionally acquired the license for a "highly promising" experimental cancer treatment drug for an initial consideration of about £31.9 million ($43 million).

  • March 02, 2026

    Use Of Orange Not Enough To Set 'EasyHotel' TM Apart

    European Union officials have refused to let easyGroup register a trademark for "easyHotel," ruling that the color orange is commonly found in hotel decor and therefore is not directly recognizable to the low-cost giant's branding.

  • March 02, 2026

    Shein Fights To Withhold List Of Top Suppliers In Temu Battle

    Shein asked a London appeals court on Monday to give it a chance to overturn an order compelling it to hand over a list of its top suppliers to Temu in a battle over photo copyright and alleged anticompetitive conduct.

  • March 02, 2026

    GSK Unit Loses Appeal Bid For 3D Purple Inhaler TM

    European appellate officials have denied Glaxo Group's application for a 3D-shaped trademark of an inhaler, ruling that shoppers would associate the purple color with its ingredients rather than commercial origin as color use was already widespread. 

  • March 02, 2026

    UK Record Labels Say US Rap Duo $uicideboy$ Infringed IP

    Two British record labels have told a London court that U.S. rap duo $uicideboy$ infringed their copyright by sampling music from movie soundtrack composer Mica Levi without permission.

  • February 27, 2026

    Gowling Wins Access To Docs In Ongoing UPC Pharma Feud

    The Unified Patent Court has allowed law firm Gowling WLG to see pleadings from Boehringer and Zentiva's dispute concerning a fibrosis drug, even though the underlying case is still ongoing.

  • February 27, 2026

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

    This past week in London has seen Linklaters sue a shipping company, high-street clothing giant Urban Outfitters hit with an intellectual property claim, Ithaca Energy sue rival Chrysaor, and cabaret club magnate Alex Proud face legal action with his nightclubs in financial turmoil.

  • February 27, 2026

    BBC, FT Want To Strike Licensing Deals With AI Developers

    The BBC and the Financial Times are among a coalition of major British news brands that have joined forces with the goal of establishing licensing frameworks for artificial intelligence developers to use their content.

  • February 27, 2026

    Trade Laws Not Guide For Regional IP Rights, EU Court Says

    A European Union court has ruled that definitions of goods contained in the bloc's customs regime are not a guide when deciding whether certain items qualify for intellectual property protections over regional produce, in a dispute over Mongolian cashmere.

  • February 27, 2026

    Zaha Hadid Co. Wins Right To End Trademark Deal

    Zaha Hadid's architectural company can terminate a deal to use trademarks signed before her death in 2016, after an appeals court held Friday that the licensing agreement was not intended to "lock the parties together forever."

  • February 26, 2026

    Nokia Submits To UK Court's Role In Paramount Patent Feud

    Nokia said Thursday it has agreed to let a London judge set global terms for a license allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. to use its video coding patents, backing down from its earlier challenge to the U.K. court's jurisdiction.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What New Int'l Treaty Means For Global AI Regulation

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    Lawyers at Bird & Bird consider how global artificial intelligence regulation will be affected by the first international AI treaty recently signed by the U.S., EU and U.K., as well as its implications for business and several issues that stakeholders should be aware of.

  • HMRC Transfer Pricing Guide A Vital Resource For Businesses

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    HM Revenue & Customs' recent guidelines on common transfer pricing compliance risks should be required reading for affected businesses in indicating HMRC's expected benchmark for documents and policies, say Tomoko Ikawa and Kapisha Vyas at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Comparing Apples To Oranges In EPO Claim Interpretation

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    A referral before the Enlarged Board of Appeal could fundamentally change the role that descriptions play in claims interpretation at the European Patent Office, altering best drafting practices for patent applications construed there, say lawyers at Finnegan.

  • Why India May Become A Major Patent Litigation Forum

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    India is reinventing itself with the goal of becoming a global hot spot for patent litigation, with recent developments at the Delhi High Court creating incentives for plaintiffs to assert patent rights in India, say Ranganath Sudarshan at Covington and IP litigator Udit Sood.

  • Takeaways From UPC's Amgen Patent Invalidity Analysis

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    The Unified Patent Court Central Division's decision in Regeneron v. Amgen to revoke a patent for lack of inventive step is particularly clear in its reasoning and highlights the risks to patentees of the new court's central revocation powers, say Jane Evenson and Caitlin Heard at CMS.

  • UK Approach To AI Patentability Appears Settled For Now

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    After a High Court ruling upended the status quo last year, the Court of Appeal’s recent decision that Emotional Perception’s artificial neural network is not patentable represents a return to the U.K.’s familiar, albeit often complex, approach to patentability of artificial intelligence technology and computer programs generally, say lawyers at Potter Clarkson.

  • AI Reforms Prompt Fintech Compliance Considerations

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    With the EU Artificial Intelligence Act's Aug. 1 enforcement, and the U.K.'s new plans to introduce AI reforms, fintech companies should consider how to best focus limited resources as they balance innovation and compliance, says Nicola Kerr-Shaw at Skadden.

  • 10 Ways To Manage AI Risks In Service Contracts

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    With the European Union Artificial Intelligence Act coming into force on Aug. 1 and introducing a new regulatory risk, and with AI technology continuing to develop at pace, parties to services arrangements should employ mechanisms now to build in flexibility and get on the front foot, says James Longster at Travers Smith.

  • What Future May Hold For AI Innovation In UK Under Labour

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    Labour’s recent King's Speech was notable in its absence of discussion of a comprehensive artificial intelligence bill, and while this may indicate to many that the UK is open for business, the party’s approach to cross-sectoral engagement will be critical for shaping Britain's AI landscape in the near term, says Alexander Amato-Cravero at Herbert Smith.

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