Insights

You could protect a new product shape through trademark, design and copyright law. Find out how, in reality, design law and copyright are the most applicable.

Read about the different positions taken by the EUIPO & UKIPO in a recent opposition based on indirect confusion that emphasises the importance of local representation.

In response to recent uncertainty, we set out the changes from the UKIPO address for service practice direction and offer practical advice for affected rights holders.

Read answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about when a UK address for service is required for UK trademarks and designs.

A November 2022 decision by the Boards of Appeal of the EPO addresses several issues relating to the sufficiency of disclosure in patent descriptions.

When describing a product's feature or function, you can refer to another brand’s trademark. But, there is a fine line between informative use & trademark infringement.

The unitary patent and UPC system are now scheduled to come into being, with the Sunrise Period scheduled to begin on 1 March 2023. No further extensions are expected.

Belize has joined the Madrid System for international trademark registrations as of 24 February 2023, adding to the list of Madrid System countries.

On 8 December 2024, the EU Design Reform package finally entered into force. We explore what the changes mean for design owners in the EU.

EUIPO declared the trademark for Banksy's Monkey image invalid on the grounds of bad faith in 2021, but that Banksy trademark decision has now been overturned.

From producer to grape variety, vintage and alcohol level, wine labels include a range of information due to mandatory wine labelling requirements.

Find out how to keep patentable inventions confidential with contracts, whether you are filing a patent application or keeping a new invention secret.

Must a compound be shown to be suitable for each disease for first medical use claims to be sufficiently disclosed in applications for European patents, asks Matthieu Boulard.

Find out why deciding on your IP enforcement and protection strategy means keeping both the 'sword' and 'shield' functions of trademarks in mind.

A finding of invalidity against Puma provides a valuable warning of the dangers of accidental publication online before obtaining design registration.

A new edition of the Nice Classification system for international trademark registration will become available on 1 January 2023.

Find out why special care must be taken when using well-known characters, as an interesting UK case law development in copyright protection demonstrates.

Find out what hard seltzers are and why this popular drinks craze has fallen foul of global regulators.

What is the ‘normal use’ of an object under EU design law? A case concerning an EU design registration of a bike saddle set out to answer this question.

Find out why trademark enforcement based on "the marks only differ by one letter" rule can be damaging and costly, as the recent HOUSE OF ZANA v ZARA case shows.