Latest Insights

Making Walking Greener with Intellectual Property The recent pandemic has changed the daily commute for many from a time consuming journey to the office using a car, train and / or bike into a slipper-clad wander from kitchen to study (or makeshift bedroom office).  Hopefully those that can will continue to use their feet to… Read more »

Our Evolving Relationship with Plastic We have a complex relationship with plastic. Plastic has long been viewed as a ‘wonder material’ due to its useful durability, moldability, and low cost.  The commercialisation of plastic products began in the early 1900s with the invention of Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride which will be known by many as Bakelite. The method… Read more »

Ed Sheeran Granted Declaration of Non-Infringement in “Shape of You” copyright case Ed Sheeran has successfully defended a claim for copyright infringement for his song “Shape of You” and was granted a declaration of non-infringement of copyright (Sheeran v Chokri [2022] EWHC 827 (CH)).   Background The song “Shape of You”, which Ed Sheeran co-wrote… Read more »

Freedom to Operate – Understanding the risks   There are many factors to be considered for a project developing a new product or process, but Freedom to Operate should not be overlooked. What is Freedom to Operate? Freedom to Operate, or “FTO”, is the ability to carry out commercial plans without infringing third party Intellectual… Read more »

Ongoing UK Involvement In The UPC The UPC is not relevant in the UK anymore, right?  Wrong. Following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union there has been a subsequent UK withdrawal from the UPC.  On 20 July 2020 the UK deposited a notification of the withdrawal of its ratification of the UPC Agreement meaning… Read more »

What do Six Nations Rugby Union referees have in common with the UK IPO Appointed Person? There is huge pressure on referees to make the right decisions in big sports matches, and the Television Match Official (TMO) in Rugby Union has been cited as an example of how technology can help with this process. The… Read more »

Re-design the system – the UK IPO consults on the future of UK design protection First a quick quiz to see whether you should read this article.   Question 1 Can you explain the differences between registered designs, UK unregistered design rights, Community unregistered design rights, supplementary unregistered design right and artistic copyright? A: Yes… Read more »

Absolutely Not Registrable As a Trade Mark Attorney, one of the questions I am asked on an almost daily basis is whether new marks are registrable. As UK IPO practice is forever evolving, it can be helpful to conduct regular reviews of the kinds of marks being refused by the UK IPO. We take a… Read more »

Prosecuting green patents around the world The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) launched the Green Channel in 2009. The Green Channel is a scheme which allows applicants to request accelerated prosecution of patent applications directed to an invention which has an environmental benefit. Since the launch of the green channel in the UK, a… Read more »

European Commission launches feedback period on SEPs As part of the European Commission’s (EC) initiative titled ‘Intellectual property – new framework for standard essential patents’, the EC has now published a call for evidence and a public consultation on standard essential patents (SEPs).  This planned consultation was mentioned in our earlier article reporting the UK… Read more »