It’s our people that make the difference
Our partners and attorneys are highly qualified and highly experienced to advise you in all areas of Intellectual Property law. We advise start-ups, SMEs, and multinational corporations and ensure that your inventions, brands and designs are expertly protected.
In the recent case of Vodafone v IPCom [2023] EWCA Civ 113 the Court of Appeal ruled that it would not re-visit a costs order of nearly £1 million following the European Patent Office (“EPO”) subsequently revoking the patent which underpinned the original action. This case highlights the importance of parties to litigation (and their… Read more »
At the end of 2022 the EUIPO Board of Appeal annulled the 2019 decision to revoke McDonald’s BIG MAC mark and allowed the mark to remain on the register (Case R534/2019-4). Background to the case Supermac’s is a popular Irish chain of restaurants dating back to 1978. In 2017, Supermac’s Holdings Ltd (Supermac’s) filed two… Read more »
In one of the first legal cases to assess how trade mark law will apply to digital images protected by non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”), a New York jury has found that the MetaBirkin images produced by Mason Rothschild infringe the trade mark rights of Hermès in its Birkin bag. Artist Mason Rothschild created images of a… Read more »
In the recent case of Marks and Spencer PLC v Aldi Stores Limited [2023] EWHC 178 (IPEC) (the latest instalment of disputes between the two supermarkets), the IPEC ruled that Aldi had infringed M&S’ registered design rights in respect of the bottle used for their line of festive gin-liqueurs (pictured below). Background After this litigious… Read more »
Background The main value of many technology merger or acquisition deals may not lie in tangible property like buildings or stock inventory. Often the value lies in intellectual property (IP), and patents in particular. It is common practice for companies to monitor the R&D activities of others, particularly smaller innovators. This is done with a… Read more »
Author: Dan Byrne Tigercat International Inc. (“Tigercat”) and Caterpillar Inc. (“Caterpillar”) have been in conflict in numerous countries around the world due to conflict arising between Tigercat’s name and Caterpillar Inc’s commonly used abbreviation “Cat”. Most recently, a dispute in the EU IPO has resulted in Tigercat losing an opposition for its application for… Read more »
Author: Lindsey Rigg In 1920, Cadbury launched their purple and gold packaging for their Dairy Milk range, rumoured to have been chosen as a tribute to Queen Victoria. Since then, Cadbury have used their iconic shade of purple on a range of confectionary. However, the efforts of Cadbury to protect their brand’s shade of… Read more »
In the recent case of Shazam v Only Fools The Dining Experience and Others [2022] EWHC 1379 (IPEC) the IPEC ruled that copyright could subsist in a fictional character considered a ‘literary work’ under UK copyright law. The case concerned the character Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter from the long-running TV series Only Fools and Horses… 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 »
A.A. Thornton & Co conversion to AA Thornton IP LLP We are delighted to share that, on 1 April 2022, A.A. Thornton & Co (“the Partnership”) converted from a partnership, under the Partnership Act 1890, to AA Thornton IP LLP (“the LLP”). What this means for us Limited liability partnerships are a favoured structure amongst… Read more »
