This year marks 150 years that UK trademarks have been in existence. Before The Trade Marks Registration Act 1875 came into force, companies struggled to prove ownership of their products and would be in a constant battle with competitors who were trying to copy their logos for their own gain. With the advent of a…
Every year on 17 March, the world turns a little greener. Streets fill with music, pubs get louder, and people everywhere raise a glass to St Patrick’s Day. What started as a religious festival has grown into a full-blown celebration of Irish culture with parades rolling through city centres, fiddles setting the rhythm, and friends…
When Setting Up a New Business, Ask Yourself This – Why Are Trademarks an Essential Commodity for Every Business? Trademarks are much more than symbols or words, they are the essence of your business identity and one of your most powerful business commodities. In today’s competitive market, a business’s most valuable assets are not always…
A trademark enables us to distinguish an enterprise for certain goods and services. An application to register SWEDEN has been filed by Visit Sweden as a certification mark in respect of the provision of travel information. Sweden has become the first country to file a trademark application for its country name through the European Union…
In a case of particular to trademark attorneys and brand owners, the Court of Appeal recently issued judgement in the latest instalment of Sky Ltd v Skykick. In 2020 the High Court ruled, in line with CJEU guidance, that the registration was in part invalid as the term “computer software” was overly broad, as the…
In this age of celebrity endorsed products and lucrative licensing deals we are familiar with the rich and famous stamping their ‘identity’ into trademarks covering everything from perfume to pasta sauce and kitchenware to luxury watches. Lately however, this kind of intellectual property has taken a very royal turn and it seemed an opportune moment…
So you’re over the first hurdle: you know what your trademark will look like (you’ve come up with a great name and/or logo) but now you must consider the list of goods and services you wish your trademark to cover. Goods and services are split up into classes for the purposes of trademark applications. The…
Have you seen that Christmas TV ad with the moon and the telescope? No, not the John Lewis advert, the Aldi parody that’s also hitting the headlines. While the creative ‘budget’ take on the most-talked about advert of the season is not judged to be a breach of copyright due to the ‘fair dealing’ exception…
What makes a toy a roaring success? Along with being creative and appealing enough to make it onto thousands upon thousands of letters to Santa, it will also need good patent protection. If you have a toy or other product that you want to make it onto the must-have list, you need to ensure that…
Whether you’re actively considering taking your business to the next level through franchising or you’re just getting started on launching your idea, it pays to be aware of the potential implications of franchising. Since the ability to successfully run a franchise scheme depends on having effective protection of your IP in place, we always advise…
