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Intellectual Property UK

  • June 04, 2025

    Sky Switches Off Chinese Audio Biz's 'Snowsky' EU TM Hopes

    Sky has persuaded European Union officials to reject a Chinese audio company's "Snowsky" trademark application, proving that the logo might strike the same chord with consumers as its existing "Sky" brand.

  • June 04, 2025

    EU Copyright Rules Not Built For AI Training, Lawmakers Told

    The European Union's existing copyright exceptions for data mining should not extend to the development of artificial intelligence models, experts argued on Wednesday in the bloc's Parliament.

  • June 04, 2025

    Fujifilm Can't Give Kodak The Hurry-Up After UPC Win

    The Unified Patent Court has denied an attempt by Fujifilm to force Kodak to disclose the extent to which it infringed a lithographic printing patent, ruling that there is no fixed time period for Kodak to come clean.

  • June 03, 2025

    Pac-Man Maker Loses Real-World Game Patent 

    British officials have ruled the company behind the Pac-Man and Elden Ring computer games cannot patent a method that gathers players at real-life locations because the application in question merely makes use of "computer programs running on standard hardware."

  • June 03, 2025

    Novartis Seeks To Block Rival's Generic Blood Pressure Drug

    Novartis has asked a London court to halt a competitor's plans to sell a generic version of its blood pressure medication, arguing that a replica drug will infringe its extended patent protections over the treatment.

  • June 03, 2025

    UPC Stands Firm On Jurisdiction Over Pre-2023 Events

    An appeals panel at the Unified Patent Court has denied a claim from a printing company that it cannot rule over disputes dating from before it opened its doors in June 2023, declining to ask the EU's top court to consider the matter.

  • June 03, 2025

    Italian Bike Gear Biz Partially Freezes UPC Case Against Rival

    An Italian biking clothing company has put on hold one of its patents in a Unified Patent Court infringement claim against a rival, as a parallel spat at the European Patent Office means the text might change.

  • June 03, 2025

    AI Software Biz Sundae Bar Launches London Float

    Sundae Bar PLC, an artificial intelligence software business, began trading on Tuesday on the London Stock Exchange after it raised £2 million ($2.7 million) from the sale of 25 million shares to investors.

  • June 02, 2025

    Peers Go To Bat Again Over AI Copyright Concerns

    Peers voted once more on Monday to introduce an amendment requiring artificial intelligence companies to be transparent about the copyrighted works they are training data on, in the third round of pingpong over the issue.

  • June 02, 2025

    Belkin Can't Dodge Fine For Delayed Info In Philips UPC Feud

    The Unified Patent Court has rebuffed an attempt by Belkin, an electronics company, to avoid a fine for delaying disclosure of how extensively it infringed a Philips patent, upholding the penalty even though the company has now provided the information.

  • June 02, 2025

    Italy Fashion NGO Bags Partial Win In 'Fashion Week' TM Bid

    An Italian fashion association cannot get a full-fledged trademark for its yearly "Milano Fashion Week," after European officials found that it was nothing more than a literal description of the event for most of the categories the group sought to cover.

  • June 02, 2025

    NYC Cookie Chain Can't Bake Up 'Levain' TM In EU

    New York bakery chain Levain has lost its quest for a trademark over its name in the European Union, failing to convince officials that the word is distinctive enough to identify its hefty cookies.

  • June 02, 2025

    Ginmaker Denies Imitating Winery Nyetimber's Label Design

    A Devon gin distillery has told a court that it has not copied the "product of England" labeling of Nyetimber, arguing it did not perceive the sparkling winemaker as a rival — although it admitted to some stylistic similarities in their brands.

  • June 02, 2025

    EUIPO Expands Mediation Service To All Trademark Disputes

    Parties involved in all levels of European Union trademark proceedings can now ask to solve their dispute through mediation, the bloc's intellectual property agency said Monday.

  • May 30, 2025

    Valve Scrapes Win In 'Source' TM Fight In UK

    Gaming giant Valve Corp., the company behind the game-making software Source Engine, has convinced the U.K.'s Intellectual Property Office to trim trademark protections for "database engine," and "software" from a trademark application for the name "Source."

  • May 30, 2025

    UK's Status Quo On Exhaustion Regime Favors Trade Over IP

    The government ultimately opted not to change the country's existing regime for exhaustion of intellectual property rights despite toying with reforms after Brexit, a move lawyers say missed out on creating a more IP-friendly alternative that would limit parallel imports from Europe.

  • May 30, 2025

    Bodum Hits Back At Shein In Coffee Press Copyright Clash

    A Bodum unit has doubled down on its claim that Shein infringed the intellectual property behind its French press and drinking glass designs, telling a London court that it holds copyright for both products.

  • May 30, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Entain face yet more investor claims in the fallout from its bribery probe, UEFA face class action from Liverpool fans over chaos at the 2022 World Cup, and a venture capitalist sue journalists for misuse of his private information over a forged police report. Here, ¼«ËÙÈü³µ looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • May 30, 2025

    Dutch Hose Co. Can't Block Supplier From Selling To Rivals

    A Dutch court has rejected all claims brought by firefighting equipment company Hytrans against one of its former suppliers, concluding that there was no breach of patent or exclusivity agreements when it sold similar hose and pump systems in the Netherlands.

  • May 30, 2025

    Royal Institute Of British Architects Can't Block 'RIBA' TM Bid

    A Swedish real estate firm has fought off the Royal Institute of British Architects' attempt to block its "RIBA" trademark application in the European Union.

  • May 29, 2025

    Cochlear Implant Rivals Call Truce Ahead Of UPC Ruling

    Two cochlear implant heavyweights have quietly settled their global patent dispute, with both parties agreeing to dismiss a U.S. appeal on Thursday, bringing an abrupt end to the transatlantic clash.

  • May 29, 2025

    Disney Can't Stop Brazil Court Injunction In IP Row, For Now

    A California federal judge has denied The Walt Disney Co.'s request to block a Brazilian court from taking injunctive action against it in a patent dispute with wireless technology developer InterDigital Inc., saying the entertainment giant has not shown it's likely the Brazilian court will issue a preliminary injunction barring the use of certain video codec technology.

  • May 29, 2025

    Tech Founder Accused Of Disparaging Company To Clients

    An anti-piracy technology business that supplies Sky and the Premier League has sued one of its founders at a London court over allegations that he made disparaging comments about the business to clients and misused its confidential information.

  • May 29, 2025

    LG Electronics Joins Qi Wireless Charging Patent Pool

    Patent pool administrator Via Licensing Alliance has added Korean electronics giant LG Electronics Inc. to its Qi wireless charging patent pool as both licensor and licensee in a move that boosts its share of standard-essential patents in the fast-growing sector.

  • May 29, 2025

    Chinese Biz Blocked From Using LG Patents In Germany

    Licensing agency Tulip Innovation has persuaded a German court to block Chinese battery maker Sunwoda from infringing patents belonging to LG, its lawyers have confirmed.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Don't Wing Settlements: Lessons From Morley's TM Ruling

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    In Morley's v. Sivakumar, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court recently found that a fast-food franchiser had breached a fried chicken franchise's trademark rights, despite a prior settlement agreement, offering lessons on drafting express terms to ensure IP protection, say Nessa Khandaker and Clare Cornell at Finnegan.

  • Use Or Lose It: European TM Ruling Stresses 'Genuine Use'

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    The European Union General Court recently dismissed an action to revoke trademark protections for a lack of use in Sta Grupa v. EU Intellectual Property Office, offering significant insight into the intricacies of assessing evidence of genuine use in revocation actions, says Sumi Nadarajah at FRKelly.

  • 1 Year At The UPC: Implications For Transatlantic Disputes

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    In its first year, the Unified Patent Court has issued important decisions on procedures like provisional measures, but complexities remain when it comes to coordinating proceedings across jurisdictions like the U.S. due to differences in timelines and discovery practices, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Trends, Tips From 7 Years Of EPO Antibody Patent Appeals

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    Recent years of European Patent Office decisions reveal some surprising differences between appeals involving therapeutic antibody patents and those for other technologies, offering useful insight into this developing area of European case law for future antibody patent applicants, say Alex Epstein and Jane Evenson at CMS.

  • Companies Trading In The EU Should Heed MondelÄ“z Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent €337.5 million fine of Mondelēz is the latest decision targeting restrictions on EU cross-border trade, and serves as a warning to companies active in the region to check their contracts and practices for illegal restraints, and to perform audits to ensure compliance, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

  • 4 Takeaways From Biotech Patent Invalidity Ruling

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    The recent Patents Court decision in litigation between Advanced Cell Diagnostics and Molecular Instruments offers noteworthy commentary on issues related to experiments done in the ordinary course of business, joint importation, common general knowledge and mindset, and mosaicking for anticipation, say Nessa Khandaker and Darren Jiron at Finnegan.

  • How Life Science Companies Are Approaching UPC Opt-Outs

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    A look at recent data shows that one year after its launch, the European Union's Unified Patent Court is still seeing a high rate of opt-outs, including from large U.S.-based life science companies wary of this unpredictable court — and there are reasons this strategy should largely remain the same, say Sanjay Murthy and Christopher Tuinenga at McAndrews Held.

  • Lego Ruling Builds Understanding Of Design Exam Process

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    In Lego v. Guangdong Loongon, the European Union Intellectual Property Office recently invalidated a registered design for a toy figure, offering an illustrative guide to assessing the individual character of a design in relation to a preexisting design, says Christoph Moeller at Mewburn Ellis.

  • Protecting Trade Secrets In US, EU Gov't Agency Submissions

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    Attorneys at Mintz compare U.S. and European Union trade secret laws, and how proprietary information in confidential submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency is protected in the face of third-party information requests under government transparency laws.

  • The Unified Patent Court: What We Learned In Year 1

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    ​​​​​​​The Unified Patent Court celebrated its first anniversary this month, and while questions remain as we wait for the first decisions on the merits, a multitude of decisions and orders regarding provisional measures and procedural aspects have provided valuable insights already, says Antje Brambrink at Finnegan.

  • F1 Driver AI Case Sheds Light On Winning Tactics In IP Suits

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    A German court recently awarded damages to former F1 driver Michael Schumacher's family in an artificial intelligence dispute over the unlicensed use of his image, illustrating how athletes are using the law to protect their brands, and setting a precedent in other AI-generated image rights cases, William Bowyer at Lawrence Stephens.

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