Insights

The amended Benelux Convention on Intellectual Property (BCIP) came into force on 1 March, bringing Benelux trademark law in line with the EU Trade Mark Directive. Among other changes, it introduced n...

EU trademarks ‘with reputation’ enjoy a broader scope of protection under EU trademark law. Timo Buijs examines this doctrine in light of the recent conflict between ‘Spa’ and ‘Spaaq’, as well as what...

J Sainsbury, more commonly known as supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, has had success in a recent trademark invalidity application at the UKIPO against the shape of a Babybel cheese. Claire Jones outline...

The EU has agreed a further extension to 31 January 2020 with the option for the UK to leave earlier if the Prime Minister can secure support for the withdrawal deal. Does this mean a no-deal Brexit i...

Colours form some of the world’s most recognisable and valuable trademarks, but the bar for registration is high. Even after registration and long-standing use, they can still be at risk of attack, as...

So much of Brexit is up in the air, including the date when the UK’s exit from the EU will even occur. We summarise what we know so far, and how businesses should prepare.

When it comes to brand and trademark creation, marketing teams often prefer names that legal teams may consider too ‘descriptive’ from a trademark perspective.

We previously covered the need for businesses to establish a clear and consistent strategy for registering and renewing domain names. For UK businesses with .eu domain name registrations, 29 March 201...

In 2018, Chinese telecoms company Huawei filed an EU trademark application for the word mark ‘Freebuds’ covering headsets and earphones. EUIPO refused the application due to its lack of distinctive ch...

Although the CJEU recently ruled that the flavour of a cheese spread is not eligible for copyright protection, advances in the technology used to electronically describe odours and flavours could over...

Rockstar Games, the makers of the 2018 hit action-adventure game Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) is battling to overcome a trademark challenge by Pinkerton Detective Agency.

The quality of evidence of use submitted can make or break a trademark cancellation defence, no matter how big the brand, as fast-food giant McDonald’s recently found to its cost.

As a business, your trademark is what distinguishes your goods and/or services from those of your competitors, making it one of your most important assets. Trecina Surti sets out tips on choosing an e...

The Trade Marks Regulations 2018 came into force on 14 January 2019. Vanessa Harrow examines the key changes being introduced to UK law.

The application for trademark registration of the sign ‘H2O+’ was refused by the EUIPO, as decided by the EU General Court on November 27, 2018. The EU General Court concluded that the sign applied fo...

In the spirit of the holidays, Claire Jones examines Christmas-themed IP issues and sets out requirements to consider in order to avoid them.

Novagraaf’s Timo Buijs examines the function of colours in trademark law and the possibility to register colours and combinations of colours as trademarks, based on a recent CJEU ruling.

Domain name management usually sits outside the IP department with marketing and/or IT teams. Those departments may have been schooled in the need to consult the IP team as part of the domain name reg...

As is usually the case with IP, it saves time and money over the longer term if a strategy is in place in advance of a brand takeover or launch. The same is true when two businesses merge.

Discover how to create and optimise counterfeit protection strategies to protect your brand in the busy shopping period from Black Friday to the January sales.