Automotive & Aerospace

An exhibition by Bosch (in September 2017) demonstrated a variety of innovative solutions that use automated and connected technologies to address the issue of moving a rapidly increasing number of people around our cities safely and in a sustainable manner. Bosch Connected Car Taking centre stage in the event arena was the Bosch Connected Car… Read more »

The majority of commercial fuels are manufactured from oil and gas based petrochemical feedstocks. However, following the announcement that the UK intends to ban the sale of new cars powered solely by either petrol or diesel fuel by 2040 (and with similar bans announced, to date, by France and China), the race is on to… Read more »

Auto suggestion by use of BMW The BMW vs Technosport[1] case arose from the unauthorised use of BMW’s trade marks in the UK by an independent repair services provider, Technosport. The case before the court While BMW succeeded on most grounds in the initial infringement case, its appeal concerned mainly the issue of use of… Read more »

Ferrari S.p.A (Ferrari) may be facing loss of the registration of its legendary TESTAROSSA trade mark for its iconic sports car in Germany. The trade mark was used by Ferrari during the mid-1980s to mid-1990s for its sought after sports cars featured in the TV series Miami Vice and popularised by celebrity fans. Production of… Read more »

The Continental vs Michelin[1] appeal at the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU), decided a few months ago arose from an opposition by Michelin to Continental’s European Union Trade Mark Application for the registration of  in relation to ‘Tyres; Inner tubes for tyres’. Michelin relied, inter alia, on its earlier French trade mark… Read more »

Automotive manufacturer Continental recently announced an innovative new integrated wheel and brake system designed specifically for electric vehicles. http://www.continentaltire.com/news/continental-introduces-innovative-wheel-and-braking-concept-electric-vehicles Braking inside out The new design consists of two main parts; a “carrier star” and a “rim well”. The rim and carrier star bolt together to form the wheel and the carrier star attaches to the… Read more »

Introduction Intellectual Property services typically rely on quality of client service to maintain their commercial edge. Nevertheless, the IP sector as a whole could stand to learn much from the best practice approaches adopted by many of the large industrial sectors it services. The International Organisation for Standardisation has begun to apply quality management practices… Read more »

hybrid [pronounced hahy-brid] noun A thing made by combining two different elements. Hybrid cars are becoming more and more prevalent and here at AA Thornton we handle patent applications directed to the wide range of technology involved. This brief article explains exactly what is meant by a “hybrid”, the different types of hybrid vehicle available… Read more »

Bosch is the leading global supplier of technology and services when it comes to vehicle safety and the “Stop the Crash” initiative is providing them with a platform to campaign for much more widespread use of vehicle safety systems. What is “Stop the Crash?” Stop the Crash (#STOPTHECRASH) is an initiative of the consumer association… Read more »

During a chat with my Automotive group colleagues about developments in automotive technology I confessed that although I’d owned my “new” car for over a year, I hadn’t yet dared to try the parking assist function. Something about a car parking itself made me feel slightly uneasy. My colleagues pointed out that this was perhaps… Read more »