EU

As e-cigarette use grows, so do the dangers of trademark infringement for well-known brands, as Trademark Attorney Claire Jones explains.

Fashion brand fails to provide adequate proof of use for the stylised capital D it registered as an EU trademark in 1999. Ardine Siepman examines the decision.

When seeking to expand into new markets or territories, it’s important to ensure IP protection is first in place. Dr Peter Wilson sets out the IP elements to consider when developing or updating an export strategy.

We recently set out guidance on marking products with patent and design numbers, including examining the benefits and risks of doing so. Here, we look at packaging and product marking from the trademark perspective.

The recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU represents yet another knock back for Nestlé in its attempt to prove its chocolate bar shape distinctive enough to warrant trademark protection. Novagraaf’s Frouke Hekker examines what the judgment means for 3D shape marks and the requirements for proof of use in the EU.

The French government is in conflict with another company over trademarks containing the word ‘France’. Novagraaf’s Ardine Siepman examines a recent ruling by the General Court of the EU, which considered whether anyone could even own the word ‘France’.

As social media becomes an everyday part of corporate marketing practice, there has been a notable increase in hashtag-based brand names. Stormzy’s label #Merky Records (as listed with hashtag at Companies House) is just one example of this growing trend. But how registrable are such names as trademarks?

The copying of fashion and clothing designs is so endemic it appears almost accepted. But, a designer’s creative output is their intellectual property and should be protected as such. We set out tools for protection.

A recent spat over a recipe image used on Instagram highlights the importance both of clearing images for use before posting, and of protecting your own images using copyright symbols and watermarks, as Claire Jones explains.

The European Commission is seeking to make it easier to place generic drugs on the market on expiry of SPC protection. Eric Enderlin outlines the implications.

Businesses need to understand and regularly review the scope of their IP agreements, not only to ensure they protect their valuable IP rights from theft or accidental lapse, but also to maximise opportunities to increase the value and income of their IP portfolios.

Fans of Federer at this year’s Wimbledon may be wondering why he’s no longer sporting the distinctive ‘RF’ logo on his tennis whites. That’s because the trademark is actually owned by his former sponsor Nike.