Intellectual property blog

Designs reform: the government's response

Designs law rarely makes headlines. It is the quiet, slightly awkward middle child of IP: less glamorous than trade marks, less lucrative...

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The Elephant at the UKIPO Whiskey Jar

In a recent UKIPO opposition decision, Shiseido Americas Corporation ("the Applicant") successfully defended oppositions brought by...

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Race Against Time: 'Le Mans' Branded Watches Cross the Line

The commercial halo around a major sporting event can be every bit as valuable as the spectacle itself. That was the point at the heart...

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UK Government Charts a FRANDlier Course on SEPs

In July 2025, we reported that the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) had launched a consultation on Standard Essential Patents...

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Thriller at the UKIPO: Emotional Perception and the ghost of Aerotel

The Emotional Perception saga has come full circle. On 1 October 2026 the UKIPO refused the remitted application again, this time for...

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The Manchester Creative Industries AI Summit – the government's opportunity to set out a policy direction on copyright and AI?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has convened the Creative Industries AI Summit, a one-day event to be held this Friday in Manchester, forming...

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Kraftwerk sampling ruling: pastiche finds its rhythm

Germany's highest civil court has held that the use of an unlicensed sample of Kraftwerk's 1977 track "Metall auf Metall" in a German hip...

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G1/25 – Right Back Where We Started From?

The Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) of the European Patent Office issued its decision in referral G1/25 earlier this month, as we reported...

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Neat IP: English Whisky Obtains Protected Status

English Whisky has secured protected Geographical Indication (GI) status. English Whisky now joins Scotch, Welsh and Irish whiskies as a...

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Is a word mark descriptive of a colour? A lesson for brand owners

The General Court was a thorn in the side of this particular rose, when it dismissed an action brought by Rose Bikes GmbH against the...

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EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal - the definition of "Inconsistency"

As we've previously reported here and here, the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) at the EPO has been grappling with a big question in case...

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Blocking Copyright Risk: What the CJEU's Anne Frank Geo-blocking Ruling Means for Publishers

A recent judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") has provided clear guidance on how to protect copyright in...

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