Related insights: Intellectual Property

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Frosty reception: Iceland Foods' only EU trade marks invalidated

19 Jan 2023
In December 2022, the European Union (EU) Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Grand Board of Appeal decided to cancel EU trade mark registrations belonging to Iceland Foods Limited (IFL) for ICELAND and the figurative mark (right). The Grand Board confirmed the earlier invalidity decisions stating that the marks in question would be perceived by the relevant public as indicating that the goods and services provided under the marks originate from Iceland, as opposed to from IFL. The decision (at publishing, still subject to appeal) could mean that IFL loses all of its EU-wide registered trade mark protection for its key brand; these are the only EU trade mark registrations belonging to IFL on record. 

European patent holders should address opt-out question before Unified Patent Court begins operations

29 Nov 2022
Should I stay or should I go? This is the question current owners of European patents and applicants for pending applications are asking as the European Patent with Unitary Effect (Unitary Patent) and Unified Patent Court (UPC) are scheduled to launch on 1 April 2023. Once in effect, a Unitary Patent will be enforceable in all Member States, and the UPC will have jurisdiction over all disputes related to a Unitary Patent. Likewise, any remedy awarded by the UPC (including injunctions and/or revocations), will be effective in all Member States. 

Womble Bond Dickinson establishes New York office with the addition of an elite IP team

28 Apr 2022
The transatlantic law firm Womble Bond Dickinson has opened an office in New York with the addition of a group of prestigious lawyers from intellectual property boutique firm Abelman Frayne & Schwab (AFS). With this year marking the fifth anniversary of Womble Bond Dickinson’s transatlantic combination, the firm’s continued growth has included new offices in Boston, Los Angeles, and Houston.
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"Shape" of success: High Court declares non-infringement in Ed Sheeran copyright dispute

11 Apr 2022
Although music disputes are not uncommon, few reach the court room, so there is some mystery about how judges determine whether a musician has copied another's work. Fortunately, the recent judgment involving Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" gives some insight on what artists need to prove to succeed, how the parties presented their cases and, ultimately, why Mr Justice Zacaroli found in favour of Mr Sheeran
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Court of Appeal rejects AI inventor argument

19 Oct 2021
On 21 September 2021, the Court of Appeal handed down its much anticipated judgment in Thaler v Comptroller General of Patents Trade Marks and Designs [2021] EWCA Civ 1374 on whether an AI machine can qualify as an "inventor" for the purposes of the Patents Act 1977 (the Patents Act).