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The short answer is ‘yes’, you can own a fictional character, says UK Trademark Attorney Luke Portnow, and this summer the UK saw a particularly interesting case law development in copyright protection. 

As companies increasingly turn to innovative trademarks, such as colour, sound, holograms and motion marks, to differentiate themselves from competitors, questions arise as to how to protect these trademarks effectively. Register for our webinar recording to discover the answers.

Model and socialite Hailey Bieber is just one of a long list of celebrities to have registered trademarks to maximise the brand and business opportunities that can come with fame. But fame alone is not enough to guarantee a straightforward trademark registration.

Choosing a ‘strong’ brand name for your business can be a challenging undertaking. Depending on your market and industry, there is a risk that your preferred name will have already been registered as a trademark by a third party. But what if you choose a similar logo?

Can you own the copyright to a song title? That’s the question at the heart of the recent dispute over Mariah Carey’s seasonal chart topper 'All I Want for Christmas is You'.

Latest development at the EPO is a further example of the challenges that applicants, particularly from the US, face when ensuring valid priority claims for European Patent (EP) applications, as Dr Oliver Harris explains. 

Music app Spotify has successfully opposed the registration of the trademark ‘Potify’ by marijuana app Potify on the grounds of dilution by blurring and tarnishment. Julia Schefman examines the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruling and asks whether the outcome would have been any different under EU law. 

Counterfeit activity is a threat to all modern businesses, affecting their profits, their reputation and, in some cases, the safety of their consumers. This white paper sets out five steps to success when targeting the trade in fakes, and provides answers to some frequently asked questions

The Madrid System for the international registration of trademarks allows brand owners to apply and maintain protection in the different member states of the system via one single procedure, in one language and one set of fees. However, levels of protection can vary and the process is not without its shortfalls.

Download our updated trademark management white paper to find out how to build a trademark strategy that supports your business goals.

In our white paper 'Best practices in trademark auditing: a practical guide', we set out the steps to take to put a trademark auditing programme in place that will help your business to streamline and exploit its portfolio.

The need to file evidence of use can crop up in many cases and the requirement to show historic use can cause problems for businesses. Preparation is critical to success.