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Âé¶¹´«Ã½ UK

  • February 28, 2025

    Ericsson Rebuked For Denying Lenovo Interim License

    A London appeals court held Friday that a "willing licensor" in Ericsson's shoes would have handed Lenovo a short-term license to use its essential cellular tech, condemning the Swedish company's bid to "coerce" its rival into a more favorable deal.

  • February 28, 2025

    Viacom's Delayed-Broadcast Patent Request Fails At EPO

    Viacom has lost its bid to patent a device that delays the airing of a TV show, with European officials ruling that the features allowing for simultaneous broadcasting and recording for later time zones weren't in the original application.

  • February 28, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen the billionaire Zakay brothers, founders of Topland Group, become embroiled in a legal dispute with each other, Unilever sue three major perfume companies over alleged illegal price-fixing, and the publisher of Vogue magazine file an intellectual property suit against Cornucopia Events. Here, Âé¶¹´«Ã½360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 28, 2025

    Telefónica Suffers Blow In Squabble Over 'E-Plus+' Brand

    Communications giant Telefónica has failed to reverse a decision to revoke one of its "E-Plus+" trademarks in the European Union, marking the latest twist in its tussle with a U.S. technology company over the brand name.

  • February 27, 2025

    Uncertainty Looms As AI Copyright Consultation Closes

    The U.K. government is unlikely to back down from its plans to overhaul current intellectual property law to allow companies to scrape copyright material to train artificial intelligence systems, despite consistent calls from creatives to tighten the leash, lawyers say.

  • February 27, 2025

    Slush Puppie Owner Gets £20M Freezing Order Rescinded

    A London judge on Thursday rescinded an injunction Slush Puppie's owner had won freezing over £20 million ($25.2 million) worth of a rival slurpee maker's assets, ruling that the previous judge didn't know all the facts.

  • February 27, 2025

    Barry Manilow Pushes Dispute Over Royalties To LA Court

    A London judge ruled Thursday that claims by British music royalties outfit Hipgnosis over unpaid royalties against singer Barry Manilow must be dealt with by a court in Los Angeles before proceedings in the U.K. can move forward.

  • February 27, 2025

    Whoop Gets Rival's Sports Bra Patent Revoked In UK

    Wearable technology company Whoop convinced a London court on Thursday to revoke a rival's patent over a sports bra that measures the heart rate of the wearer — though the judge held that the tech would otherwise have infringed the patent.

  • February 27, 2025

    Getty, Stability AI Clash Over Evidence On Cusp Of Trial

    The company behind Stable Diffusion criticized Getty's "piecemeal and obscure" claims on Thursday as the two sides prepare for a summer trial, demanding greater clarity because of the importance of the first U.K. case over training a generative AI model on copyrighted material.

  • February 26, 2025

    Schweppes Wins 2nd Shot At Russian Tea Co.'s TM Challenge

    A European court ruled Wednesday that trademark officials must take another look at a Russian tea brand's challenge to the Schweppes "May Tea" trademark, saying the IP appellate board overestimated the risk of confusion.

  • February 26, 2025

    Makeup Co. Denies Lifting Lash Curler Design

    A cosmetics company has fired back at allegations that it lifted a French plastics manufacturer's design to create its "GrandeFANATIC" mascara brushes, arguing that the protections covered technical features that the whole industry needed to use.

  • February 26, 2025

    Life Magazine TM Owner Trims French Co.'s Bid To Use 'Life'

    European officials have partially nixed a French company's trademark over "Life," ruling that shoppers might think it is somehow linked to Life magazine, which is famous for pioneering photography-led stories.

  • February 26, 2025

    Samsung Fails To Capture 'Photo Assist' TM In Europe

    European Union officials have shuttered Samsung's hopes of getting a "Photo Assist" trademark in the bloc, ruling that the phrase does not merit protection as it merely describes the purpose of the photo-editing software.

  • February 26, 2025

    UK Seeks Input On Modernizing Design IP Protection

    The U.K. Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Office has asked designers, legal professionals, trade bodies and IP experts to share their views in a survey to help to inform its approach to Britain's design protection system.

  • February 25, 2025

    Creatives Urge Gov't To Scrap AI Copyright Exemptions

    A coalition of U.K. creative industry bodies has urged the Labour government to rethink proposals to introduce exemptions to intellectual property laws to help bolster artificial intelligence development, as a government consultation on copyright and AI draws to a close.

  • February 25, 2025

    Optis Makes Case For Do-Over In Apple FRAND Ruling

    Optis urged an appeals court on Tuesday to upend a decision setting a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory license for Apple Inc. to use its suite of 4G patents, saying that the trial judge was wrong to substitute his own method for determining the value of the patents.

  • February 25, 2025

    EU Courts Can Assess Validity Of Patents From Outside Bloc

    The European Union's top court held Tuesday that courts in member states may consider the validity of patents granted outside the bloc if a party seeks to void a patent to dodge an infringement claim.

  • February 25, 2025

    Toy Co. Accuses Rival Of Copycat Teddy Bear Designs

    A toy seller has sued a rival for selling a stuffed animal that it claims is "nearly identical" to its Paw Bear products, accusing the rival of tricking corporate clients into buying copycat goods as promotional gifts for their conferences. 

  • February 25, 2025

    Aspinal Of London Hits Rival For Stealing 'Mayfair' TM

    Designer handbag maker Aspinal of London has accused a rival manufacturer of copying the trademark for its "Mayfair" range of bags, a move its says has caused "unfair advantage and detriment."

  • February 24, 2025

    Health Biz Loses UK TM For Trendy 'Gut Shot' Name

    A U.K.-based health food company's bid to secure a trademark for "Gut Shot" has been rejected by the European IP officials, which held that the trademark was not distinctive given that "gut shots seem to be a popular trend."

  • February 24, 2025

    Boston Scientific Loses Patent For Flexible Stent On Appeal

    European officials have nixed Boston Scientific's patent for a flexible stent device that expands in blood vessels, ruling that a prior patent revealed all of its claimed features and would have prompted scientists to make the invention themselves.

  • February 24, 2025

    'Thirst' Sports Drink Maker Loses Bid For Logo TM At EUIPO

    A Belgian probiotic soda company has blocked an Irish businessman's bid for a "Thirst" trademark covering sports drinks, with European officials concluding that Estonian, Lithuanian and Polish consumers were likely to confuse the brands.

  • February 24, 2025

    Sportswear Chain Footasylum Loses 'Authorized' EU Mark

    Sportswear retailer Footasylum has failed to convince European officials to register a trademark for "Authorized," with an EU Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Office examiner holding that the word was "purely laudatory."

  • February 24, 2025

    GSK Completes $1.2B Takeover Of US Cancer Drug Biz IDRx

    Pharmaceutical giant GSK said Monday that it has completed its acquisition of biopharma company IDRx Inc. in a deal worth up to $1.15 billion in cash to boost its treatment for gastrointestinal cancers.

  • February 21, 2025

    Spanish Department Store Wins Block Of 'Savanna' Rum TM

    Spanish department store giant El Corte Ingles has persuaded European Union officials to halt a rum company's "Savanna" trademark bid, proving that shoppers would mix up the sign with its own logo of the same name.

Expert Analysis

  • EU Unified Patent Court Will Proceed In 2017 — Now What?

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    Although it is sensible to be cautious and plan accordingly, we believe that the European Union's Unified Patent Court will, after a possibly extended teething period, become a significant forum in which patents are litigated, say Trevor Cook and Anthony Trenton, leaders of WilmerHale's IP litigation practice in Europe.

  • Comparing Patent Quality At The USPTO And EPO

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    In this latest article in an ongoing series on patent quality, Professor Colleen Chien of Santa Clara University School of Âé¶¹´«Ã½ and Professor Jay Kesan of University of Illinois College of Âé¶¹´«Ã½ provide a snapshot of comparative patent inputs, processes and outcomes at the European Patent Office and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • Brexit And Supplemental Protection Certificates

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    The procedure for applying for patents through the European Patent Office will be entirely unaffected by Brexit because the EPO was established by a separate treaty unrelated to the European Union. EU law, however, is critical to the acquisition and enforcement of other intellectual property rights, including supplemental protection certificates, say William Hubbard and Barry Herman of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP.

  • Q&A With GAO Directors: Improving Patent Quality

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    Overall, we were impressed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's commitment to improving patent quality through their Enhanced Patent Quality Initiative. However, we still recommended that the USPTO take a number of actions, say John Neumann and Frank Rusco of the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

  • EU Court Brings New Copyright Liability For Linked Material

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    The EU Court of Justice recently ruled that websites that merely link to infringing material can be liable for copyright infringement. If GS Media v. Sanoma stands, it threatens to disrupt common practices on a wide variety of websites and social media platforms, say Jennifer Stanley and Liwen Mah of Fenwick & West LLP.

  • Best Of Times And Worst Of Times For International IP

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    While the intellectual property environment is healthy, the international trade environment is not. The troubling situation raises the question of whether prevailing anti-trade sentiment will undercut IP harmonization progress and jeopardize the future of the global IP system, say Jay Erstling and Amy Salmela of Patterson Thuente Pedersen PA.

  • The Complicated Role Of Copyright In EU Pay-TV Case

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    While the European Commission's decision to close its antitrust investigation of Paramount Pictures does not mark the end of the pay-TV investigation, which continues against other studios and broadcasters, the history of the case and the terms of this settlement provide an interesting insight into the EC’s current views on the interaction between competition law and copyright, say Becket McGrath and Trupti Reddy of Cooley LLP.

  • Deciding Where To File Patents Internationally In 2016

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    Staying tethered to old patent filing strategies can soothe the cognitive dissonance created by a rapidly changing world. But applicants should resist the siren song of the old standbys to optimally adapt their patent portfolios to a world in economic and political flux, says Stephen Keefe, patent counsel at the Getinge Group.

  • What Brexit Means For EU Patents And Trademarks

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    Until the end of the negotiation period that will follow the Brexit vote, EU laws will continue to apply in the U.K., and intellectual property owners will likely experience no change in their rights in the U.K. until at least 2018, say Peter Pappas and Karissa Blyth of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP.

  • 7 Reasons Revocation In EU Could Be As Popular As IPR In US

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    In addition to providing a forum for centralized enforcement of European patents, the Unified Patent Court will offer a new opportunity for challengers to invalidate a European patent centrally in a single action. There are some similarities between UPC revocation actions and the hugely successful inter partes reviews in the U.S., say Leythem Wall and Hazel Ford of Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP.

  • UK Supreme Court Clarifies Scope Of EU Design Protection

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    The U.K. Supreme Court's reasoning in a dispute involving children’s suitcase manufacturers raises important points for those filing community registered design right applications in Europe, says Dafydd Bevan of Marks & Clerk.

  • A New Dawn For European Patents

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    The creation of a new European Unified Patent Court and a new patent with unitary effect — expected to come into force next year — is the most important change in the European patent system since the European Patent Convention came into effect in October 1977. It will fundamentally change the international patent litigation landscape, say attorneys with Jones Day.

  • A Successful Follow-On Inter Partes Review Petition

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    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's recent decision in World Bottling Cap shows that a second petition for inter partes review will be considered by the PTAB when the facts and additional prior art warrant, says Ted Baroody of Carstens & Cahoon LLP.

  • Get Ready For EU Unified Patent Court And Unitary Patent

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    Big change is coming to European patent litigation — as early as January 2017, a new single Unified Patent Court will commence operation. The time for U.S. companies with European patents to start planning and preparing is now, say Ron Lopez and Jennifer Hayes of Nixon Peabody LLP.

  • Effective IP Enforcement Is Taking Shape In China

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    As the Chinese economy grows and becomes more intertwined with other world economies, non-Chinese intellectual property rights holders in the energy sector must understand new enforcement mechanisms under the National Âé¶¹´«Ã½ Rights Strategy Action Plan to maintain a competitive IP strategy, say Brad Chin and Kevin Tamm of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP.

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