Intellectual Property UK

  • February 12, 2025

    Oil Company Wins Effort To Patent Improved Drilling Method 

    National Oilwell Varco has won its bid to patent a faster, cheaper way of drilling boreholes after convincing European officials that skilled scientists wouldn't have stopped checking the rotational speeds of specific drill bits. 

  • February 12, 2025

    EU Sinks SEP Proposals Among Deregulation Push

    The European Commission's surprise decision to ax controversial reforms to standard-essential patent licensing and several other major proposals could mark the latest in a global trend of deregulation and protectionism, experts say.

  • February 12, 2025

    UPC Cracks The Door Open For In-House Counsel To Appear

    The Unified Patent Court ruled in a decision released Wednesday that there is no blanket ban on in-house lawyers appearing at the court, handing them a lifeline after a recent ruling jeopardized their ability to represent their employers.

  • February 12, 2025

    Tom Ford Can't Get EU TM For Perfume Bottle Design

    Luxury fashion brand Tom Ford cannot get trademark protection for its fine-line illustration of a perfume bottle, with EU officials finding that the design was not obviously different from other perfume packaging.

  • February 12, 2025

    Blur Drummer's Class Action Claim Faces PRS Strike-Out Bid

    An organization that collects royalties on behalf of musicians in the U.K. on Wednesday asked the country's competition tribunal to toss out a claim brought by the drummer of rock band Blur, who alleged that it has been unfairly distributing cash.

  • February 12, 2025

    EU Shelves SEP Plan In Drive To Simplify New Regs

    The European Commission has withdrawn its bid to overhaul laws on standard-essential patents, announcing in its work plan for 2025 that there is "no foreseeable agreement" for the controversial proposal.

  • February 11, 2025

    ETSI Picks IP Law Pro For New Chief Policy Officer

    Europe's telecommunications standards body has appointed a new chief policy officer with a background in intellectual property law and policy.

  • February 11, 2025

    Baccarat's TM Cut Down In EU Fight With Interior Design Co.

    An interior design company has convinced a European trademark authority to cut luxury homeware company Baccarat's trademark "Baccarat La Maison" for a swathe of categories, after officials found the famed French crystal maker could not show it was using the mark extensively.

  • February 11, 2025

    Saint-Gobain Grinds Out IP Win Over Robert Bosch Challenge

    European officials have upheld a patent for an abrasive material that reduces the imperfections caused to steel and other pieces, ruling that Saint-Gobain Abrasives' had used a special equation to generate a unique geometric pattern. 

  • February 11, 2025

    Bristows Hires New UPC Chief In Dublin

    Bristows LLP has hired a new Unified Patent Court director to its Dublin office who aims to "sculpt" the firm's practice at the European forum.

  • February 11, 2025

    O2 Fails To Block Israeli Org's 'LMNT O2' Trademark Bid

    O2 has lost its attempt to foil an Israeli laser company's "LMNT O2" trademark application, failing to convince a European Union appeals panel that consumers could confuse the mark with its own branding.

  • February 11, 2025

    Edwards Halts Meril's Heart Valve Sales In Netherlands

    A Dutch court has ordered Meril to stop selling heart valves that infringe one of Edwards' European patents, rejecting Meril's bid to invalidate its rival's protections.

  • February 11, 2025

    Novartis To Buy US Pharma Biz Anthos For Up To $3.1B

    Novartis AG said Tuesday that it plans to buy Anthos Therapeutics Inc. for up to $3.1 billion, allowing the Swiss pharmaceutical heavyweight to return a drug that originated at the company back into its portfolio of cardiovascular therapies.

  • February 10, 2025

    Amgen Saves Patent For Making Parathyroid Drug

    European officials have dismissed an appeal seeking to defeat Amgen's patent for making a peptide that treats hyperparathyroidism resulting from kidney disease, saying the patent can stand because skilled inventors at the time wouldn't have thought of linking molecules in the same way. 

  • February 10, 2025

    DeLorean Wins TM Claim Against Ex-European Franchisee

    DeLorean has won its trademark infringement claim accusing a former European franchisee of continuing to use its branding years after its partnership with the famous two-doored sports car company ended.

  • February 10, 2025

    Gambling Biz Wins Bid To Exit TM Deal Without Paying €1.7M

    A gambling business was entitled to end a trademark licensing deal with another online gaming company without paying a €1.7 million ($1.8 million) penalty because their joint venture was performing poorly, a London court ruled Monday.

  • February 10, 2025

    Make-Up Artist Can't Sue BBC Over Reality TV Show

    A London judge on Monday dismissed a case against the British Broadcasting Corp. and a Warner Bros. unit, ruling that they didn't steal a makeup artist's idea to make "Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star."

  • February 10, 2025

    Hyundai Technology Trims Hyundai Motor Co.'s Logo TM

    Hyundai Technology Inc. has successfully blocked Hyundai Motor from using its logo in the European Union for a range of consumer electronics and computer devices — but failed to block the trademark for some vehicle-related technology products.

  • February 07, 2025

    Nokia Blocks Some Amazon Prime Features In German IP Suit

    A German court on Friday hit Amazon with an injunction after ruling that its Prime Video streaming service infringes one of Nokia's patents.

  • February 07, 2025

    Thom Browne Beats Adidas Copycat Claims In Dutch Scuffle

    Thom Browne has scored another victory against Adidas AG, convincing a Dutch court that a stripe pattern stamped on jackets and shoes was not a copy of the German brand's famous three-stripe logo. 

  • February 07, 2025

    Abbott Stripped Of 3D TM For Circular Glucose Monitor

    A London court revoked on Friday Abbott's 3D trademark over a continuous glucose monitoring device, bringing to an end its infringement case against a Chinese rival.

  • February 07, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Investec Bank PLC sue two diamond tycoons, London florist Nikki Tibbles file a claim against an "imitator company," a direct descendant of the Cartier family launch a claim, and a Coronation Street actor hit footballer Joe Bunney with a defamation claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 07, 2025

    Baxter's Blood-Clotting Patent Survives J&J Challenge

    A European appeals panel has rejected an attempt by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson to revoke Baxter Healthcare's patent for a treatment that stops bleeding, upholding an amended version of the patent in a decision released on Friday.

  • February 06, 2025

    Victorinox Can't Get 'Makers Of Swiss Army Knife' TM

    European officials have partially refused a knife-maker's trademark registration for the phrase "From the makers of the original Swiss Army knife," ruling that it wouldn't help consumers know Victorinox was the company making them. 

  • February 06, 2025

    Lemon Gin Linked To City Not Norwich FC, Maker Says

    A spirits producer has told a court that claims by Norwich City FC that its lemon-flavored gin infringed the football club's trademarks are false because its "Norwich City" drink was created as a souvenir for visitors to the eastern English city.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.

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