Category: intellectual property

SPCs – unhealthy combinations of new cases – Technology Law Update

Posted February 27th, 2014 in intellectual property, medicines, news, patents by sally

‘The Supplementary Protection Certificate. A marvellous little device for giving back to a patent owner the lost years during which it has been obtaining regulatory approval for its products in those heavily regulated areas: pharmaceuticals and plant protection products. You simply extend the patent by the number of years that the product has spent caught up in the approval process, and there you are. A gain of up to five valuable years on the end of your patent in the prime of the product’s life.’

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Technology Law Update, 26th February 2014

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Food for thought: is an unauthorised photo of your restaurant meal an IP breach? – Legal Week

Posted February 19th, 2014 in consent, food, intellectual property, internet, misrepresentation, news, photography by sally

‘I do it. My friends do it. And I suspect that you’ve occasionally done it. It is what is colloquially referred to as ‘food porn’ – the salivating over restaurant menus online in preparation for a meal and then, depending on your social media connectedness, the Instagram shot of what you are about to devour.

One would think the broadcasting of delicious delicacies by diners would be welcomed by chefs and restaurateurs as free advertising of their wares. Not so. France TV Info reports that Gilles Goujon, who operates a three-starred restaurant called L’Auberge du vieux Puits in the south of France declares that such activities are not only poor etiquette (fair enough) but, when his dishes appear online, it takes away “a little bit of my intellectual property”. The BBC reports that another chef in La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil in the north of France has also inserted a ‘no camera’ provision on his menus.’

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Legal Week, 18th February 2014

Source: www.legalweek.co.uk

Rivella International AG v Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) ( Baskaya di Baskaya Alim e C Sas intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted December 17th, 2013 in appeals, EC law, intellectual property, law reports, regulations, trade marks, treaties by sally

Rivella International AG v Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM) ( Baskaya di Baskaya Alim e C Sas intervening) Case (C-445/12P); [2013] WLR (D) 493

‘Trade marks registered under international arrangements which had effect in a member state, as referred to in article 8(2)(a)(iii) of Council Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 of 26 February 2009 on the Community trade mark (OJ 2009 L78, p 1), were subject to the same system as trade marks registered in a member state, as referred to in article 8(2)(a)(ii) of the Regulation. As such, where pleaded in opposition proceedings before OHIM, they were subject to the requirement in article 42(3) of the Regulation to prove the requisite prior use, the concept of use of a Community trade mark in the European Union being exclusively and exhaustively governed by EU law.’

WLR Daily, 12th December 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

HTC Corpn v Nokia Corpn – WLR Daily

Posted December 6th, 2013 in injunctions, intellectual property, law reports, patents, telecommunications by sally

HTC Corpn v Nokia Corpn: [2013] EWHC 3778 (Pat);   [2013] WLR (D)  468

‘The criteria to be applied in deciding whether or not to grant an injunction for infringement of intellectual property rights were those of efficacy, proportionality, dissuasiveness, the avoidance of creating barriers to legitimate trade and the provision of safeguards against abuse as set out in article 3(2) of Parliament and Council Directive 2004/48/EC.’

WLR Daily, 3rd December 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Judge orders UK ban of one HTC device but stays decision on ban of another – OUT-LAW.com

Posted December 5th, 2013 in intellectual property, news, patents, stay of proceedings, telecommunications by sally

‘An HTC mobile device will be banned from sale in the UK after Friday afternoon unless the company wins the right to appeal against the imposition of that ban on that timescale.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 5th December 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Court of Appeal backs parallel UK and EPO patent proceedings but alters guidelines for future cases – OUT-LAW.com

Posted November 22nd, 2013 in appeals, intellectual property, news, patents, stay of proceedings, telecommunications by sally

‘A dispute over the alleged infringement of a standard-essential mobile technology European patent will be ruled on by the High Court despite there being ongoing proceedings before the European Patent Office (EPO) about whether the patent is valid.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 21st November 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

IP in tattoos, seriously? – Technology Law Update

Posted October 25th, 2013 in artistic works, copyright, intellectual property, news by sally

“There has been a lot of discussion over the last couple of years in the media about what intellectual property exists in tattoos and who owns it. It is likely that tattoos, if original artistic works, will be subject to copyright and the owner of copyright works is generally the person who created them, i.e. the tattoo artist.”

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Technology Law Update, 24th October 2013

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court – not just a new name – Technology Law Update

Posted October 23rd, 2013 in courts, intellectual property, judiciary, jurisdiction, news by sally

“On 1 October 2013, the Patents County Court (‘PCC’) was renamed the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (‘IPEC’). Many practitioners just note it, in passing, as part of the effort by the Government to enhance the popularity of the PCC/IPEC – part of their agenda promoting innovation (particularly for small and medium sized enterprises), rather than a change with a significant impact on the law. However, to dismiss it as ‘just a new name’ would not be quite accurate.”

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Technology Law Update, 22nd October 2013

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Performing Right Society Ltd v B4U Network (Europe) Ltd – WLR Daily

Posted October 18th, 2013 in appeals, artistic works, copyright, intellectual property, law reports by sally

Performing Right Society Ltd v B4U Network (Europe) Ltd: [2013] EWCA Civ 1236;   [2013] WLR (D)  385

“Where a composition fell within the terms of an agreement assigning copyright to the Performing Right Society the effect of section 2(1) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 was to vest copyright in the society as soon as the work was created, notwithstanding an agreement with those commissioning the work which purported to assign to them all rights in future works.”

WLR Daily, 16th October 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

CoA rules Scrabble tile trademark to be invalid – The Lawyer

Posted October 15th, 2013 in appeals, intellectual property, news, trade marks by sally

“An attempt by the makers of Scrabble to protect its iconic letter tiles from imitations by claiming trademark rights has been thrown out by the Court of Appeal.”

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The Lawyer, 14th October 2013

Source: www.thelawyer.com

Collective licensing bodies face £50,000 fine for non-compliant code – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 17th, 2013 in codes of practice, copyright, fines, intellectual property, licensing, news by sally

“The Government could fine collective licensing bodies up to £50,000 if they fail to implement a compliant code of practice governing their activities, according to plans outlined by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).”

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th September 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Dyson sues Samsung over new vacuum’s steering mechanism – BBC News

Posted September 10th, 2013 in intellectual property, news, patents by sally

“British manufacturer Dyson is suing Samsung over claims that the South Korean firm ‘ripped off’ one of its inventions.”

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BBC News, 10th September 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Passing off – Fenty v Topshop – NIPC Law

Posted September 10th, 2013 in intellectual property, misrepresentation, news, photography, sale of goods by sally

“Mr. Justice Birss summarized the issues in Fenty and Others v Arcadia Group Brands Ltd (t/a Topshop) and Another [2013] EWHC 2310 (Ch), [2013] WLR(D) 310 admirably in paragraph [1] of his judgment in that case: ‘Topshop is a well known fashion retailer. Rihanna is a famous pop star. In March 2012 Topshop started selling a t-shirt with an image of Rihanna on it. The image was a photograph taken by an independent photographer. Topshop had a licence from the photographer but no licence from Rihanna. Rihanna contends that the sale of this t-shirt without her permission infringes her rights. Topshop does not agree. This action is the result.’ ”

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NIPC Law,  10th September 2013

Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk

Red Bull backs down over name dispute with Redwell brewery – The Independent

Posted August 16th, 2013 in intellectual property, news, trade marks, trade names by sally

“The makers of the energy drink Red Bull have announced they will not proceed with a legal challenge against the Redwell brewery using its name on its beers because it is too similar.”

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The Independent, 15th August 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Red Bull pursues Redwell brewery in Norwich over name – BBC News

Posted August 15th, 2013 in intellectual property, news, trade marks, trade names by sally

“A Norfolk micro brewery has been told it must change its name or face legal action, because it sounds too similar to the energy drink Red Bull.”

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BBC News, 14th August 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Trade mark owner wins right to block proposed new ‘top-level’ domain – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 12th, 2013 in arbitration, domain names, intellectual property, internet, news, trade marks by sally

“A trade mark owner has won the right to stop its mark being adopted as a new generic ‘top-level’ domain (gTLD) by a rival company.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 9th August 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Information sharing with new IP crime police unit can help rights holders obtain redress for infringements, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 5th, 2013 in enforcement, evidence, intellectual property, international law, internet, news, police, prosecutions by sally

“The establishment of a dedicated police unit for investigating and prosecuting against individuals involved in intellectual property (IP) crime can help rights holders obtain redress for the infringement of their rights, an expert has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 2nd August 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Rihanna wins Topshop T-shirt court case – BBC News

Posted August 1st, 2013 in intellectual property, misrepresentation, news, photography by sally

“Pop singer Rihanna has won a legal battle with clothing retailer Topshop over a T-shirt bearing her image.”

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BBC News, 31st July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ruling highlights need for clear policy on social media account ownership, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 11th, 2013 in confidentiality, employment, injunctions, intellectual property, internet, media, news by sally

“A ruling by the High Court has highlighted the need for businesses to operate a ‘clear policy’ on ownership of social media accounts used by staff for business purposes, an expert has said.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 11th July 2013

Source: www.out-law.com

Can you spot the difference? New research published on the impact of lookalike products – Technology Law Update

Posted July 8th, 2013 in consumer protection, EC law, intellectual property, news, unfair commercial practices by sally

“We are continually hearing about the inherent value of a brand. A well established brand helps customers identify the product they’re buying and can reassure them about the quality they can expect. It is therefore no surprise that other companies often try to piggyback off well established brands in order to sell their similar product.”

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Technology Law Update, 5th July 2013

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk