Insights & News

Incentivising an influencer: towards greater transparency

Press

17 October 2016

Jo Farmer has authored an article for Digital Business Lawyer on the increasing use of social media personalities by global brands to advertise their products and services and the need to clarify when online content is paid-for advertising.

Lewis Silkin works with ISBA to create suggested vlogger contract for brands and influencers

Press

13 September 2016

Lewis Silkin is proud to have worked alongside trade body ISBA (The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers) to draft a new legal template for brands dealing with the emerging world of YouTube vloggers and other creators.

CMA undertakings with Social Chain highlight ad disclosure law

Press

19 August 2016

Head of Brands & IP, Jo Farmer has commented in e-commercelaw&policy regarding the CMA's announcement that it has secured undertakings from marketing company Social Chain.

What marketers need to know about TfL's new ad ban

Press

08 July 2016

Brinsley Dresden's article "What marketers need to know about TfL's new ad ban" has been published on Campaign magazine's website.

Green light for plain tobacco packaging

Press

16 June 2016

We have written an article for Intellectual Property Magazine which discusses the recent High Court ruling on plain tobacco packaging.

An industry caught out in a game of legal musical chairs

Press

08 March 2016

James Sweeting has been quoted in an article by The Times which discusses a change in copyright law which will eventually provide stronger legal protection for the rights-holders of popular, older designs and could signal an end to replica designer homeware. There is speculation that the implementation of this new law could be accelerated.

Should clients own rights to pitch ideas?

Press

29 January 2016

Brinsley Dresden has been quoted in an article by Campaign which discusses the issue of intellectual property ownership in creative pitch scenarios. The piece focusses on the Science Museum’s process of paying £1,000 to own the IP of any ideas pitched by potential bidders.

KitKat trademark battle: Nestlé v Cadbury

Press

29 January 2016

James Sweeting has authored an article for The Times which discusses the High Court’s recent decision in Nestlé’s ongoing attempt to register the four-fingered KitKat bar as a UK trade mark. In the article, James explores the balance between allowing businesses to monopolise well-known aspects of their brand and the extent to which this could stifle fair competition.

Lewis Silkin welcomes Baroness Neville-Rolfe to Brand Academy 2016

Press

25 January 2016

Lewis Silkin was delighted to welcome Baroness Neville-Rolfe, DBE CMG, the Minister for Intellectual Property, as the keynote speaker at our flagship brand event Brand Academy 2016 - “The Power of Brands - Opportunity or Threat?” on 21 January 2016.

Happy Birthday song copyright goes public: How one of history's most expensive birthday gifts was finally returned

Press

12 December 2015

James Sweeting has been quoted in an Independent article on the copyright of the song 'Happy Birthday' going public.

Happy Birthday's copyright goes public: How one of history's most expensive birthday gifts was finally returned

Press

11 December 2015

James Sweeting has been quoted in an article by The Independent which looks at the recent legal dispute around the copyright to the song 'Happy Birthday To You'.

Comment: Amazon cases reveal transatlantic trade mark contrasts

Press

10 December 2015

Simon Chapman writes an article for Essential Retail on the legal implications of online marketplaces offering competitor's products when searched items are not in stock.

No break for KitKat as EU court rules against monopolies of shapes

Press

16 September 2015

James Sweeting has been quoted in an article by The Independent which looks at the European Court of Justice’s decision that the shape of Nestlé’s famous four-finger KitKat bar does not merit a trademark.

Tokyo Olympics logo scrapped after copyright claim

Press

02 September 2015

James Sweeting has been quoted in an article by the World Intellectual Property Review which examines the reasons behind the withdrawal of the current emblems of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

What’s new copycat?

Press

14 July 2015

After research by a consumer group revealed the extent of copycat packing in the UK, James Sweeting examines the challenge facing brand owners

Wimbledon: strawberries and cream for the digital age

Press

17 June 2015

Alex Kelham has been quoted in an article by The Guardian which examines Wimbledon's attempts to stay relevant in today's market, whilst still maintaining its traditional brand image.

Fighting back against misleading competitor advertising: How Garmin successfully navigated a route to banning misleading claims by TomTom in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands

Press

11 June 2015

Brinsley Dresden and Daniel Bugler have co-authored an article with Andrew Etkind, General Counsel at Garmin, and Daniël Haije, Partner at Hoogenraad & Haak, for the International In-house Counsel Journal. The article covers misleading competitor advertising and focuses on how Garmin successfully navigated a route to banning misleading claims by TomTom in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

ITMA Spring Conference: Gamers more than just ‘spotty little guys’

Press

20 March 2015

World Intellectual Property Review has quoted Dominic Farnsworth in an article on IP issues in the games industry.

Is all publicity good publicity? Weighing the risks of shock advertising

Press

03 March 2015

The Advertising Standards Authority is proud of the high level of compliance with the Advertising Code. This is all the more impressive considering that its primary sanction is negative PR, rather than fines. So following the ASA’s recent publication of the 10 most complained about ads of the last 12 months, there is a question to be asked: did any of these advertisers suffer long term consequences by provoking hundreds of complaints? Or was it just transient, short-term negative publicity?

The top 20 cases of 2015: global disputes in the English courts

Press

19 January 2015

The Lawyer has mentioned Adam Glass in an article.