IP Strategy & Audits

Things got heated in a recent trade mark case where the UK Intellectual Property Office refused to grant protection to Tefal for it’s so-called ‘Famous Red Spot’. The decision for this case can be read here. Background on the Tefal mark  In 2018, Tefal filed an application to register its ‘red dot’ as a trade… Read more »

Partner Dr. Lawrence King reflects on Patenting in the Pandemic and the importance of locking down innovation in troubled times in this article, first published in The Chemical Engineer. The importance of locking down innovation in troubled times TO MOST, A Poor Man’s Tale of a Patent, published in October 1850, remains one of Charles Dickens’ lesser-known… Read more »

Partners Mike Jennings and Alex Bone explore the UKIPO “Green Channel” At AA Thornton, our patent attorneys have a long history of assisting innovators seeking protection for a variety of green technology including solar technology, waste processing and wind turbines.  Some of our clients were kind enough to share their stories with us, and you… Read more »

UK IPO unveils new scheme for protecting Geographical Indications in the UK Until now, Geographical Indications (GIs) have been protected in the UK via protection afforded under EU law, but this scheme ceased to cover the UK at the end of the Brexit transition period. It has now been confirmed that GIs will be protected… Read more »

AA Thornton support Admiral Group in successful sale of the Penguin Portals and Preminen businesses We at AA Thornton are very proud to have supported the superb team at Admiral Group with their IP and trade mark needs over many years and, in particular, to have recently assisted them on the IP side of the… Read more »

Whether and when to change UK patent law to increase protection for AI This article follows the recent article ‘Call for industry views on AI and IP and ViCo‘   Introduction In September 2020, the UKIPO launched a “Call for views on AI and IP” (see https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/artificial-intelligence-and-intellectual-property-call-for-views ), noting the UK government’s desire to understand… Read more »

Impact of the end of the Brexit Transition Period on Tribunal Proceedings The Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020 and the UK IPO has issued a new practice note covering some new aspects of UK IPO trade mark and registered design practice in relation to tribunal proceedings such as cancellation actions or oppositions…. Read more »

As the world faces unprecedented challenges caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, we look at the science behind vaccine technology being investigated and how intellectual property (IP) rights may play a part in its protection. This article was first published by BioScience Today and can be found here.   What is a Vaccine? The immune system… Read more »

Retail team member Sarah Neil follows up on her last article to assess how the Appointed Person considered the issue of the ‘senior user’ on appeal.   Introduction We previously reported the first instance decision in an opposition between ABP Technology Limited (“ABP”) and Voyetra Turtle Beach, Inc (“VTB”) relating to the marks STEALTH and… Read more »

Trade mark rights IN THE RED! Automotive team member, Rachel Havard considers the CJEU’s recent judgement on genuine use of Ferrari’s TESTAROSSA trade mark.   The concept of “use it or lose it” We all probably need a bit of nostalgia in our lives, more than we ever did, and brand names/trade marks play a… Read more »