Brexit

Since the UK left the EU on 31 December 2020, UK-based businesses and citizens are no longer eligible to own or renew .eu domain name registrations, as UK Trademark Attorney Laura Morrish explains.  

Read answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Brexit and IP, from cloning of EU trademark and design rights to conversions, renewals, representation, customs applications, geographical indications, SPCs and much more.

The UK government recently announced a change to the rules of representation before the UKIPO. From 1 January 2021, new trademark, design and patent applications and contentious actions at the UKIPO will require a 'UK address for service' to be appointed.

The UK’s departure from the EU at the end of this year will change the territorial requirements for genuine use of EU and UK trademarks, as Vanessa Harrow explains.

On 31 December, the Brexit transition period will come to an end and the UK will officially leave the EU. Vanessa Harrow looks in detail at the implications for trademark and design rights, including ongoing contentious proceedings.

The UK has recently released a Draft UK-EU Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement which is intended to form the basis for discussions with the EU. Alastair Rawlence outlines the implications for unregistered Community design rights in the EU and supplementary unregistered design rights in the UK.

Registration of thebrexitparty.com by anti-Brexit campaign group ‘Led by Donkeys’ has been the cause of anger and embarrassment for Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. The domain name is not proving easy to retrieve, as Laurence Rivière explains.

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 is now off the table?

Companies posing as IP advisers are currently targeting UK companies with EU trademark and design registrations, hoping to trick their unsuspected recipients into paying for unnecessary UK registrations.

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.

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 2019 (‘Brexit day’) adds a further deadline.

The European Commission and UK negotiators reached an agreement on the entirety of the Brexit Draft Withdrawal Agreement on 14 November. Next it needs to get through UK parliament and the rest of the EU.