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  • May 28, 2025

    By Terry's 'Tea To Tan' TM Application Narrowed In EU

    The owner of cosmetics brand By Terry has suffered a blow to its "Tea to Tan" trademark in the European Union, with officials ruling that the brand merely describes certain goods sold under the label.

  • May 28, 2025

    PornHub Owner Voids Dish's Video Streaming Patent At UPC

    The owner of PornHub persuaded the Unified Patent Court on Wednesday to invalidate part of a video streaming patent belonging to satellite television and IPTV provider Dish, marking a major win amid an ongoing infringement claim over the same patent.

  • May 28, 2025

    Harvard, NanoString End UPC Sample Testing Patent Feud

    The Unified Patent Court said Wednesday that Harvard and biotechnology company NanoString have ended their dispute over a patent that covers a way of testing biological samples.

  • May 27, 2025

    Ford Loses UK 'Cobra' Trademarks In AC Cars Dispute

    Ford Motor Co. has lost four U.K. trademarks for the "Cobra" brand after a successful challenge by British automaker AC Cars, due to a lack of evidence that Ford or its licensees actively used "Cobra" as a brand for cars or toys in the U.K. 

  • May 27, 2025

    Hugo Boss Trims Chinese Company's 'Huge Sports' TM In EU

    Hugo Boss has persuaded European Union officials to revoke part of a Chinese company's "Huge Sports" trademark, demonstrating that consumers could mix up the sign with its earlier "Hugo" mark.

  • May 27, 2025

    O2 Upends TM Challenge Over 'Bleu'

    O2 has convinced European officials to reverse a decision that allowed semiconductor company EM Microelectronic to register a trademark for "EM | Bleu," because there was a likelihood of confusion between the TM and the telecommunications giant's "Blue" branding.

  • May 27, 2025

    Artist Says Winery, Distributor Stole Her Work To Put On Label

    British artist Shantell Martin told a London court on Tuesday that an Argentinian winemaker and a U.K. distributor had infringed her copyright by copying her black-and-white line drawing style for wine bottle labels.

  • May 27, 2025

    Loft Supplier Sues Rival For Copying 'Loft Leg' Design

    A manufacturing company has sued a rival in London for allegedly infringing its copyright by making "blatant copies" of one of its loft support products and pitching it to customers.

  • May 23, 2025

    Medical Biz Seeks To Nix A Rival's Suture Patents In UK

    Medical supply maker Arthrex has asked a London court to void the U.K. parts of a rival's European patents covering yarn and suture designs, in a bid to damage its opponent amid their separate dispute at the Unified Patent Court.

  • May 23, 2025

    Data Bill Copyright Fight Shows Need For Extensive AI Law

    The back and forth in Parliament to introduce stronger copyright protections against artificial intelligence has strengthened calls for AI transparency — but some argue that the Data Bill might not be the right vehicle for these laws.

  • May 23, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Nestlé hit with an intellectual property claim by a pet insurance company, VTB Capital bring a breach of contract lawsuit against J.P. Morgan Securities, and Société Générale's former chief executive face litigation from an Italian entrepreneur.

  • May 23, 2025

    UPC Adds 4 Technical Experts To Roster Of Judges

    The Unified Patent Court has boosted its roster of technically qualified judges by appointing four to join the European specialty court, including two partners at German intellectual property boutiques.

  • May 23, 2025

    Robert Bosch Can't Nix Chinese 'Boch Mann' TM

    Engineering and technology company Robert Bosch has failed to persuade European officials to block a trademark application by a Chinese firm for "Boch Mann," ruling that the German business could not claim shoppers would think it had started selling drains and sinks. 

  • May 23, 2025

    ConocoPhillips Staves Off Challenge To Liquefying Patent

    German energy giant Linde has lost its latest attempt to revoke a ConocoPhillips patent over its gas liquefying technology, failing to convince an appeals panel that the tech is not inventive enough to justify protection.

  • May 29, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Adds Eversheds Life Sciences Pro To IP Team

    Baker McKenzie LLP has hired Eversheds Sutherland's former artificial intelligence strategist for life sciences, as the firm aims to address changing client needs in the intellectual property space. 

  • May 22, 2025

    Sandoz Ordered To Recall Diabetes Drug In AstraZeneca Fight

    A London judge has ordered Sandoz to recall a specific diabetes medicine, as AstraZeneca fights to stop generic-drug makers from imminently releasing variants of its billion-dollar treatment.

  • May 22, 2025

    GSK Loses Patent Over Lung Disease Treatment At EPO

    A European appeals panel has stripped a GSK subsidiary of its patent over a steroid that helps treat lung disease, ruling that the medicine isn't inventive over a 2008 study of a similar drug.

  • May 22, 2025

    UPC Seeks Views On Rulebook For Patent Mediation Service

    The Unified Patent Court has begun consulting on a draft set of rules for its patent dispute mediation service ahead of its planned launch in early 2026.

  • May 22, 2025

    EU Backs Mandatory IP Licensing Regime For Critical Goods

    The European Union is set to introduce a new compulsory licensing regime to allow the emergency production of patent-protected goods without the permission of the rights holder, the bloc's lawmakers have revealed.

  • May 22, 2025

    Darts Co. Wide Of The Mark In 'Bull's' Trademark Appeal

    A European Union court has rejected the latest attempt by a darts company to secure a trademark over its "Bull's" logo, upholding an earlier ruling that there is a risk of confusion with a rival's earlier "Bull's" trademark.

  • May 21, 2025

    Ty Can't Nix Distributor's 'Glubschi' TM Over Bad Faith

    A European court on Wednesday rejected Beanie Baby maker Ty's bid to block a former business partner from selling stuffed toys using the trademark "Glubschi," concluding that the distributor had actually filed the applications for Ty's benefit. 

  • May 21, 2025

    Airbnb Loses Bulk Of Appeal For EU Online Database TM

    A European Union court on Wednesday threw out the majority of Airbnb's bid to spare trademark protections for its brand name relating to online databases, advertising and a slew of other digital services.

  • May 21, 2025

    Vape Co. Can't Threaten To Sue Retailers For TM Infringement

    A London court on Wednesday blocked a vape company from threatening to sue retailers for trademark infringement amid its dispute with a Chinese rival over the rights to the "Crystal" brand name.

  • May 21, 2025

    Kim Kardashian's Clothing Biz Beats Textile Co.'s 'Skims' TM 

    A fashion company owned by reality TV star Kim Kardashian has convinced European officials to nix a Chinese business' trademark for "Skims" because shoppers might think the rival products were part of her shapewear brand. 

  • May 21, 2025

    'Amicus' Name Not Distinctive, Rival Law Firm Argues

    A high street solicitors' firm in London formerly known as Amicus Solicitors London has hit back at a Manchester-based firm's claims of passing-off, saying that the name was not distinctive and that the two companies served different markets.

Expert Analysis

  • USPTO's Speed On Some China Patents Bears A Closer Look

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    While all U.S. Patent and Trademark Office expedited programs are meant to be examined in the same manner, a survey of Patent Prosecution Highway actions indicates some examination processes may favor applications originating in China, says Julie Burke at IP Quality Pro.

  • French And UK Patent Litigation Will Likely Influence The UPC

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    The newly opened Unified Patent Court represents a seismic, yet untested, change to how patent litigation is conducted within Europe, and the practices of French and U.K. courts may play a role in its development, including on issues such as saisies and document production, say lawyers at Gowling.

  • AI-Fueled Innovation Poses Patentability Challenges

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    Robert Plotkin at Blueshift IP explores questions about standards for inventorship, nonobviousness and disclosure as patent practitioners, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the courts grapple with rapid innovation in AI technology.

  • Benefits Of Unified Patent Court Compared To Local Litigation

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    Recently opened for business, the Unified Patent Court offers a faster, cheaper and more streamlined solution to handle patent disputes compared to EU countries and the U.S., and could become the most important forum for patent litigation in Europe, if not worldwide, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Global Issues In EU's Licensing Plans For Essential Patents

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    Consultants at Analysis Group explore questions surrounding the recently announced EU licensing framework for standard-essential patents, and how the European Commission's goals may influence discussions of issues like procedure, efficiency and transparency in the U.S. and elsewhere.

  • EPO Decision Adds To Sparse Case Law On Core AI Patents

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    The recent European Patent Office Board of Appeal decision in the Sparsely connected neural network/Mitsubishi case is remarkable for its technicality, and provides rare guidance for companies on the requirements for core artificial intelligence invention patents, says Alexander Korenberg at Kilburn & Strode.

  • A Deep Dive Into EU Unified Patent Court Policy

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    Robert Sterne at Sterne Kessler offers a detailed analysis of the EU's Unified Patent Court and the unitary patent, which go live on June 1, discussing what U.S. practitioners need to know from an enforcement and freedom-to-operate perspective.

  • AI And Copyright: Tracking The Ownership Issues

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    The rise of generative AI has created copyright and ownership challenges in creative industries, but contractual agreements, intellectual property law and AI-specific regulations can be used to address these issues, says Kimiya Shams at Devialet.

  • How Ed Sheeran's Serenade May Have Swayed The Jury

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    While Ed Sheeran's performance of his hit song "Thinking Out Loud" at trial could not protect him from the subconscious copying doctrine, it may have tapped into jurors' intuitions about independent creation, winning him the copyright infringement suit over the song, says Christopher Buccafusco at Duke University School of Law.

  • An Overlooked Tool To Fight USPTO 'Restriction'

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    Over the last several years, we have seen the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office more commonly impose flimsy restrictions on patent applications under the "one invention per application" rule, and practitioners underutilize petition as a means to challenge them, say George Chaclas and Emily Ferriter Russo at Day Pitney.

  • Opinion

    AI-Generated Works Should Not Have Copyright Protection

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    The U.S. Copyright Office has correctly determined that works created solely by artificial intelligence do not qualify for protection, as granting exclusive rights to such works would be unwise for a number of reasons, says Thomas McNulty at Lando & Anastasi.

  • Examining The New UK Service Guidance For TM Proceedings

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    A new much-anticipated U.K. ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Office practice notice affects situations where there is no valid U.K. address for service of documents in trademark and registered design proceedings, and will mean rights holders are on notice at an earlier stage of proceedings, with limited time in which to respond, says Nina O'Sullivan at Mishcon de Reya.

  • A Look At M&S' Registered Design Claim Win Against Aldi

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    Adding to the long line of cases seeking to restrain Aldi's attempts to mimic market-leading products, Marks & Spencer's recent success in the U.K. High Court based on registered designs demonstrates that supermarket copycat products may no longer be able to sail so close to the wind, says Alex Borthwick at Powell Gilbert.

  • UK Teva Ruling Brings Patent Remedy Into Question

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    Arrow declarations have been considered an extremely effective tool for patent litigators, but following the recent U.K. Court of Appeal decision in Teva v. Novartis it appears that courts are looking to take a more conservative view, say David Holt and Tony Proctor at Potter Clarkson.

  • How CJEU Case Shifts TM Liability For Platforms Like Amazon

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    The EU Court of Justice's recent ruling on Amazon's liability for trademark infringement in relation to fake Christian Louboutin shoes advertised by third parties on its website may leave web platforms that sell third-party vendors' products alongside their own brands more vulnerable to infringement claims, say Louisa Chambers and Helen Reddish at Travers Smith.

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