All posts by Alex Hughes

Brexit burn-out for the EUIPO Torpedo

Brexit burn-out for the EUIPO Torpedo An often important element of the strategic considerations relating to claims in the UK for infringement of a registered EU right is due to be removed on 1 January 2021. The Torpedo Article 132 of the EUTMR[1] states that EU trade mark courts shall stay an action for… Read more »

Call for industry views on AI and IP and ViCo

AA Thornton’s Mike Jennings joins the EPO, UKIPO and USPTO in inviting industry comments on the recent IP office consultations The era of public consultations In the last 3 years, several intellectual property offices have invited the global IP community to express our views on what we need from them and from legislators. The… Read more »

UK Intellectual Property Office – new rules soon on address for service

UK Intellectual Property Office – new rules soon on address for service Following a consultation in the UK with intellectual property professionals, the UK Government has announced that the existing reference to the European Economic Area (EEA) will be removed from the current address for service rules for UK trade marks, designs and patents: Government’s… Read more »

Careers in Ideas – Senior leaders’ diversity think tank

AA Thornton joins Senior leaders’ diversity think tank This public statement was first published on IP Inclusive. We are proud to share the below statement from IP inclusive on the ‘diversity and inclusion think tank’ initiative. We support this initiative as part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion at AA Thornton, and strive… Read more »

It’s the Most Wonderful Mark of the Year: legal protection and use of seasonal slogan marks

It’s the Most Wonderful Mark of the Year: legal protection and use of seasonal slogan marks Every year we wait with anticipation for the new John Lewis advert and the famous Coca Cola trucks to finally deliver the message that the holidays are coming! To the consumer seasonal adverts mean that businesses will be soon… Read more »

AA Thornton ranked again as a Tier 1 firm by The Legal 500 2021

AA Thornton is ranked again as a Tier 1 firm in The Legal 500 The Legal 500 2021 edition has now been published and we are absolutely delighted to be recommended as a top-tier firm for our trade marks team, who have not only been described as “extremely talented“, ” excellent” and “dependable” but that their work for clients… Read more »

Appeals to the Appointed Person in the UK – the unappealing truth

Appeals to the Appointed Person in the UK – the unappealing truth (part 2) This article was first published in The IPKat, and is a follow-up post from Ian Gill, who once again has been scouring decisions from the Appointed Person on trade mark appeals in the UK Intellectual Property Office. Nearly five months… Read more »

Defender or Pretender?

Automotive team member, Rachel Havard considers the rise of the Ineos Grenadier and Jaguar Land Rover’s attempt to register their Defender shape as a UK trade mark Ben Fogle in The Telegraph – “It is said that for more than half the world’s population, the first car they remember having seen is a Land… Read more »

BioScience Today – Is your IP Strategy fit for purpose?

Is your IP Strategy fit for purpose? – Five Questions to Ask Yourself The following article was first published in issue 21 of BioScience Today. As a result of the lockdown due to the global pandemic there is a greater need and renewed focus on using innovation to kick-start the economic recovery. The result… Read more »

How do you win the battle against online trade mark infringement?

Retail team member Sarah Neil reviews the problem of online trade mark infringement and the options for combating third party copycats online You may have seen the recent story of Little Soap Co and its battle against a scammer who set up an Instagram account cloning the company’s genuine Instagram account in an effort to… Read more »